Sun, Moon, Earth
by snpro2000
Summary: People rejoiced when the prophecy came to light. The war that had lasted for decades would soon be over, they thought. Things become complicated when one of the three mentioned in the prophecy is on the opposing side. When the third emerges, a battle begins to capture her and gain the advantage. However, the battle that decides the war may be the one that takes place in his heart.
1. Prophecy

**Author's Note:** So this is my second SasuSaku fic. If you were with me while I wrote my first, you know that I said this was in the works for a while. It took me a long time because I wasn't sure about what I had written at first but as I read over this many times and edited I liked it more and became confident. This probably would have been published a week or two ago if I hadn't had a surgery and an unrelated little health scare beforehand. I'm fine now though, so nothing to worry about! Anyways, please enjoy!

* * *

Minato rubbed his tired eyes and gave a long yawn. The man breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing the document in front of him would be the last one he'd have to sign for the day. Grabbing his worn pen, the Hokage scrawled his signature for the final time that night. He looked at the clock on the wall and slapped a hand to his forehead.

"Kushina is gonna kill me," Minato muttered nervously.

A knock on the door momentarily distracted the Hokage. "Come in," the blond responded hastily. He was ready to leave the office for the evening. He was surprised to see his hot-headed wife enter the room.

"Minato," Kushina said simply, crossing her arms. A frown rested on the displeased red-haired woman's lips.

"Kushina, I'm so sorry," the blond immediately apologized, jumping up from his desk.

The former Uzumaki lowered her head as the corners of her lips quirked upwards to form a small smile. "You better be. I spent all day preparing that special dinner."

"I know. I'm really sorry," he repeated as a frown of his own morphed onto his features. "I've been bombarded with work all day. I still should've made time to-"

He stopped as his wife released a chuckle of amusement. "Ah, calm down. I understand. You work too hard, you know?"

Minato rubbed the back of his warm neck and let out a nervous chuckle. No telling how his wife could react sometimes and he was glad this occurrence ended well. "I was just finishing up for the day," he announced as he quickly tidied up his desk.

"Maybe the food won't be too cold," Kushina stated as her husband finished up and they exited the Hokage's office.

"I bet it won't be," he responded in a reassuring manner. "Besides," he began as he turned his head towards her, "you made it for me so I'd eat it anyway. I bet it'll be delicious regardless," Minato finished. He leaned forward and kissed his beautiful wife on the cheek.

"Minato," she scolded playfully, her cheeks turning a light shade of red. She truly was the luckiest woman in the world, Kushina thought as they walked down the streets of Konoha. Her gaze shifted to the gorgeous starlit sky above. The red-haired woman's thoughts drifted when she placed a hand on top of the slight bump in her stomach. Kushina was about four months pregnant and she was more excited than anything, even though she still had quite a ways to go. "Minato?" she beckoned as she clasped his hand in hers.

"Hm?" he asked.

"Would you rather have a boy or a girl?" she questioned.

Minato remained silent for a moment, then a grin lifted on his lips. "To be honest, I haven't really given it any genuine thought yet. But," he paused to wave at a few children who respectfully bowed to him, "I think I'd like a little girl. Of course, I'll be happy either way!" the man finished cheerfully.

"Really?" Kushina inquired, slightly shocked at her husband's answer. "Well, I think I would prefer a son. But I'll love our child just as much if it's a girl."

"A son, huh?" Minato pondered aloud, his smile growing larger. The blond's thoughts were interrupted when his wife halted abruptly. "Kushina?" he questioned, regarding her with confusion.

The red head was staring with wonder at something in the sky, her jaw hanging open and eyes sparkling. "Look," she said, gesturing towards the sight that captured her attention.

Minato's gaze followed the direction his wife's finger was pointing in. His jaw dropped in awe when he saw it. "A meteor?" The object in question sailed through the night sky, leaving a bright streak behind it. He narrowed his blue eyes and studied the meteor's path. "It's coming towards the village!" he shouted with urgency. Before the Hokage could act, he felt a hand come to grasp his shoulder.

"I think it'll land just outside the village," Kushina started, her eyes still glued to the large mass falling from the sky.

Minato felt the tension in his muscles steadily relax as he realized the red-haired woman was correct. As the meteor came closer to the Earth's surface, its path became clearer to the Yondaime. He noticed that shinobi and villagers alike paused their chattering and movements as they caught sight of the celestial body sailing through the star-filled sky.

Crash!

The deafening impact of the meteor striking the ground on the outside of the village caused many to gasp in shock. The earth below their feet started to rumble and quake. Some women and children let out screams of panic and terror at the sensations.

"Everyone remain calm!" shouted Jonin from several rooftops, trying to cure the people's panic. Their presence did little to stop the cries of horror from little children and worried mothers.

When the earthquakes finally subsided and the screams became hushed whispers, three colorful lights shot up into the sky. Minato watched with intrigue and caution as the lights slowly came to a near standstill high in the air. _"They came from the meteor,"_ Minato realized silently. He watched as the three lights—one orange, one green, and one purple—slowly arced away from each other and started to fall back to the ground. The Hokage narrowed his eyes at the three lights, each taking a separate path into different parts of the village.

"What is that?!"

"It's coming straight towards us!"

The shouts of panic reached Minato's ears one by one as he too felt a rush of fear overcome him when the orange light sailed downwards, directly where he stood. The Yondaime's heart skipped a beat when he realized that the orange light wasn't heading towards him. "No," he whispered, immediately rushing in front of his wife. Out of habit, Minato brandished his signature kunai towards the bright light. He readied himself as it neared, speeding towards his wife with every passing second.

Gasps of shock erupted from the crowd of villagers as Minato swiped towards the light and missed. It was as if the orange light had sensed the strike. It ended up making a quick turn and sailing past the Hokage and into the red-haired woman behind him.

"Kushina!" Minato shouted with horror as he whipped around and caught the woman before she hit the ground.

"Minato," Kushina breathed as she raised a wobbling hand and placed it on the man's cheek. She released a sharp breath as her eyes closed and her head lolled off to the side.

"Kushina... Kushina wake up!" Minato willed the woman, gently shaking her shoulders in a desperate effort to make her regain consciousness.

More people started to scream with terror and point at something else in the sky.

"The prophecy shall be fulfilled," said a booming, ominous voice.

Minato, still holding his wife close to his chest, looked up and saw where the voice was coming from. A distorted face with purpleish eyes floated over the village in a menacing manner. "Prophecy?" Minato muttered to himself.

The low voice in the sky continued. "The three shall be born and unite to end the war."

With this, the blurry face in the sky faded until there were no remnants of the figure. Minato looked back down at Kushina, an expression of disbelief settling on his features. He placed a hand on the small bump in her stomach and let the voice's words replay in his head. His breath catching in his throat, the Yondaime swallowed at the realization. His child would be one of the three prophesied to end the war...

The war between the Leaf and the Sound had raged on for nearly thirty years, dragging other nations in the midst of it all and devastating the shinobi world. Minato had been unlucky to have his reign as Hokage start at a time when the war was at one of its fiercest points. He'd dealt with many tough situations as Hokage so far, but now he was at a total loss for words.

His child was prophesied to end the war...

* * *

 **17 Years Later**

* * *

"You're crazy if you think you'll ever be as great as the Yondaime!" someone shouted. "I don't care if you are part of some prophecy. Ha, it's probably fake anyway. You'll never be Hokage you loser!"

"Naruto-kun, just ignore them," Hinata advised, placing a hand on the blond's arm.

"Tch," Naruto scoffed, looking over his shoulder. He wasn't in the mood to deal with this again. He'd just come back to the village after a tedious mission and he was exhausted. Instead of lashing out, he flashed a smirk at his former classmate. "Tell me again, who was it that failed the Chunin Exams and who was it that passed?" he asked sarcastically. He smiled with satisfaction as the boy shut up and stomped off, muttering a string of curses.

"Where did Kakashi-sensei go?" Naruto asked as he put his arms behind his head and continued to walk with the Hyuga.

"He went to complete the mission reports," Hinata replied.

"Oh," Naruto said with a huff.

"You should go to the hospital and get your wounds checked," she stated with a hint of worry in her voice.

"Nah, it's nothing serious," he reassured with a grin. "How is Neji?" The girl's family member and mission partner had been injured during a mission a few weeks ago and was in the process of recovering. As a result, Naruto and Hinata had been partaking in missions together along with Hatake Kakashi. Once graduating the Academy, the new Genin were assigned a mission partner and a mentor. Naruto's assigned mentor was Hatake Kakashi, and his mission partner...

"He's recovering quicker than expected," Hinata announced.

"That's good," Naruto responded, unable to keep the frown from forming on his lips.

Hinata noticed immediately what was on the Namikaze's mind. "We'll bring him back someday."

"Yeah, maybe," Naruto answered. "I'm gonna head home. I'll see you later."

"Okay..." Hinata watched as the blond walked off in the direction of his home.

Naruto stared up at the cloudy night sky with his blue eyes narrowed and lips pursed. Usually after shinobi were promoted to Chunin, they would be put in rotational four man squads as their mission level difficulty was increased, especially since there was a war raging on. Naruto had been on a few squads so far, mostly with his friends from the Academy. But the mission he'd just completed was only with his mentor and Hinata. He found it a little weird that they weren't assigned a fourth squadmate for the mission, considering they traveled close to the main battlefield. Well, now that he considered it, it wasn't all that strange considering practically everyone in the village knew what he was and the power he possessed. Some celebrated him as a hero-to-be while others called him a monster and feared him.

"I'm home," Naruto announced upon entering.

"How was the mission?" Minato asked cheerfully as he put down his newspaper.

"Successful to say the least," Naruto chuckled.

"Naruto, you're hurt!" Kushina shouted upon noticing her son's tattered clothes and bruises.

"It's nothing serious Kaa-chan," Naruto responded with embarrassment as the woman rushed over to check out his injuries. He then engaged with his mother in an argument over whether or not he should go to the hospital. When Kushina reluctantly caved and allowed the boy to stay home, the family sat down for dinner.

"When is Ero-Sennin gonna get back?" Naruto asked between bites. "Ow!" he yelped as Kushina reached across the table and smacked him on the head.

"I told you not to call him that!" Kushina scolded.

"There's no telling really. He was sent to the front lines last I heard," Minato responded after his son recovered.

Naruto groaned with annoyance. "He's gotta get back and train with me," he grumbled. Jiraiya had taken the initiative to help Naruto harness his abilities, along with a little help from Kakashi and the likes. "I have to keep getting stronger."

Minato frowned at his son. "You put too much pressure on yourself Naruto."

It was Naruto's turn to frown. "But I have to be ready! If I'm ever gonna bring him back and also find the third..."

"Naruto," Kushina started quietly, "things will happen on their own time. You just have to be patient."

The boy resisted the urge to shout or slam a fist down on the table. "It's been over three years since he left. I wasn't strong enough to stop him. He was the second."

"I know," Kushina responded. "I know that worries you about the outcome of the war, but you have to remember that there's still a chance. The third hasn't emerged yet. Maybe put your focus more on that? The third has to be in this village. Minato saw where the lights went himself."

"Is that true Tou-chan?" Naruto asked with wonder.

"Yes, I did see all the lights," he replied with a content smile. "The third is somewhere in the village. I think that Kushina is right. You should focus more on finding that person than bringing him back. I'm not saying you should forget about him, but maybe finding the other would be more beneficial right now."

"Yeah, maybe," the boy replied with another frown. He couldn't give up on his former mission partner, but he also wanted to find the third like his parents suggested. Naruto's eyes flicked to the newspaper his father had laid aside. "What's that about Hokage-sama?" he questioned upon seeing the front page.

"Hm? Oh," Minato started after realizing what his son was talking about, "it's just an article about his latest speech on the war effort. Things are about the same as they have been."

"You know him right? The Hokage who took over after you?"

"Yeah, we worked together quite a while ago," Minato replied.

Naruto studied the picture of the Godaime and his wife. "Why do they always look so secretive?" The current Hokage, Kobayashi Daiki, and his wife, Kobayashi Fumiko, never failed to puzzle him with their appearances. Every time they appeared in public, they were fully clothed from head to toe in their traditional outfits as the village leaders, no matter how hot or cold it was outside.

"Before you were born and before I stepped down to help take care of you, Daiki went on a mission and suffered serious injuries. I guess he just wears his Hokage robes and hat all the time because he doesn't want people to see the scars. I'm not sure about Fumiko though. He was never the same after that mission," Minato thought aloud. "He was a noble warrior though and a good choice as my successor. Although, we completely fell out of contact with each other after the mission. We only speak now when he wants to personally give me assignments," the blond finished, trailing off. Now that he thought about it, it was a bit odd that they never spoke anymore. They'd been good friends once upon a time, but Daiki seemingly wanted nothing to do with him after the fatal mission. Whatever occurred that day changed something in Daiki forever.

After his father finished speaking, Naruto excused himself from the table and stood up. "Can I go out for some late night training? I have to keep at it if I wanna get better and become the next Hokage," he said with a signature grin.

Minato returned the smile and nodded with approval.

Kushina sighed and gave her son a stern look. "Okay, but don't work yourself too hard! You hear me?"

"Loud and clear!" Naruto replied with a chuckle as he strode to the front door. "I promise I won't!"

* * *

She closed the book with a heavy sigh and rubbed her eyes. Twenty-eight. That was the number of books she'd read from cover to cover that year and the year wasn't even through the first quarter yet. Sakura laid back down on the couch and frowned. She was so tired of this. All she did all day was read books and newspapers or lay on her bed and stare at the ceiling.

Sakura wondered what the outside world was like lately. She'd heard from Tsunade that it was quite cold outside as of late. The pink-haired girl couldn't remember the last time she'd been outside.

It felt so suffocating, this little underground bunker she was forced to stay in every hour of the day. The girl looked at the mirror on the other side of the room and frowned again. She wondered why her hair was pink. She wondered why she had a little diamond on her forehead. Who would she have inherited the traits from?

Suddenly, the door in the ceiling began to creak and groan. "I'm home," Tsunade announced upon entering. She reached above her head and formed a series of hand signs before pressing her palm against it and sealing it closed once more.

Sakura offered no response to the woman. She only continued to stare at her reflection in silence until the skeptical woman spoke up again.

"What's wrong?" Tsunade inquired after setting her bag down. "I brought you some more books to read," she told the girl cheerily, hoping to lighten the mood. "You've always been a fast reader so I figured you'd need more soon."

"Tch," Sakura scoffed with a roll of her eyes.

"What's with the attitude?" Tsunade asked, raising an eyebrow and frowning with slight irritation.

"I'm sick of this. I don't want to stay in here all the time. I want to go outside," Sakura responded, meeting the elder woman's gaze evenly.

"Sakura, you know why you can't do that."

"No I don't!" Sakura shouted while standing up, surprised with herself that she'd raised her voice. She couldn't just blindly agree with everything anymore though.

Tsunade, barely holding her patience together, walked closer to the girl. "I do this to keep you safe!"

"From what?!" Sakura yelled back, standing her ground.

Tsunade sighed and raked a hand through her hair in frustration. "I can't tell you that. You know I can't Sakura."

"Stop scolding me like you're my mother," Sakura retorted. She knew the instant that sentence left her mouth that she'd messed up big time. Anticipating Tsunade's slap or reprimands, she was shocked when neither of the two came.

Tsunade's gaze was directed towards a spot near her feet. "No, I'm not your mother Sakura... But I've taken care of you all your life and made sure to keep you safe. I work long, hard shifts at the hospital to ensure that we can make it by. Times are tough because of the ongoing war outside and my top priority is to keep you safe. Now, I'm going to bed. There's snacks in my bag if you're hungry. I'll see you in the morning."

Sakura's face contorted with an expression of disgust as the woman walked past her and into her room. She could smell the sake on her breath from a mile away. _"So the alcohol and gambling is part of your hard shifts, too?"_ Sakura retorted silently. The girl bit down on her lip and ran into her own room, slamming the door behind her and sitting on the bed with her arms crossed.

Tsunade's bedroom was down in the secret bunker along with Sakura's. Shizune, the only other person Sakura knew and Tsunade's assistant, lived above the bunker. All the important papers listed it as Tsunade's home as well though, just in case there was an urgent situation at the hospital and Tsunade had to leave. The blonde woman didn't want to risk anyone finding Sakura, so she ordered Shizune to make sure the people left first and then to send for her if there was an emergency situation.

Sakura couldn't stand another moment inside this prison, as she liked to call it. It was the only thing she'd known all her life and it was so boring, so lonely... After giving it a bit of thought, Sakura came to a resolution. She would wait until Tsunade fell asleep and then she'd sneak out through the hidden back entrance. Shizune wouldn't know anything either, as the entrance was behind the back of the house atop the bunker.

A few hours later, Sakura tiptoed out of her bedroom and carefully peeked inside Tsunade's room. The woman was pretty much passed out and loud snores met Sakura's ears. The pink-haired teen carefully closed the door and crept to the back entrance. She swallowed hard as she stopped in front of it, her heart beating out of her chest. She'd never done this before and was scared yet simultaneously excited. Taking a deep breath, Sakura slowly formed the hand seals she'd seen Tsunade perform many times upon sealing the doors. She exhaled sharply as she pressed her palm to the door and saw that it'd been unsealed.

Stepping outside into the cool night air, Sakura resealed the door and then studied her surroundings. The house was at the edge of the village, but also close to the hospital. It was more convenient for Tsunade she guessed. She could be close to work but also take Sakura outside unnoticed when needed.

Sakura had only been outside when Tsunade wanted to teach her some basic combat skills she might need one day. It seemed like forever since their last little training session though.

Taking in a deep breath, Sakura released it with a gigantic smile plastered to her lips. It was so refreshing to be outside and quite frankly, to be free. She looked up and marveled at the moon and stars she so rarely got a chance to view. Then she ran around to the side of the house and tried to look at the village, but was disappointed to see that many other houses and tall buildings blocked her view.

She turned to go back around the house when an idea came to mind. If she were to climb up to the very top of the village, she'd be able to see everything in Konoha. Tsunade had previously taught her about chakra control and she figured she'd be able to scale the rocky sidings to the village if she tried. As Sakura hopped up the disfigured rocks, she remembered Tsunade's praise of her great chakra control abilities.

The pink-haired woman held a satisfied grin as she reached the top, looking into the cluster of trees that laid ahead. Then she turned and stared down into the beautiful village of Konohagakure. A gasp of awe left her lips at the wondrous sight. Her green eyes sparkled, reflecting the colorful lights all across the village. She could see the bustling streets below, filled with all kinds of villagers and shinobi.

Sakura then shifted her gaze to look at the five large stone faces with complete astonishment. They were the village leaders, the Hokage, she remembered reading about. Sakura read many articles about the Hokage in newspapers brought home by Tsunade or Shizune. Newspapers were the only true way the pink-haired girl remained connected with the outside world. Sakura became puzzled the longer she stared at the stone face of the current Hokage. His name was Kobayashi Daiki, she recalled. Out of all the Hokage, he was the one she'd read about most in the newspapers and history books. She didn't find it odd, considering he was the current village leader. What she did find odd was the man's appearance. Even on the stone face he had the traditional Hokage hat and veil on, plus the mask he always seemed to wear in public. The only thing ever visible to the public was his eyes.

Suddenly, a gust of wind rushed throughout the area. Annoyed, Sakura put a hand to the side of her face in order to keep her hair away from her eyes. Then, there was a whisper.

"Who's there?" Sakura asked quietly.

No response.

Sakura swallowed and nervously began to take cautious steps forward. She heard the distorted whisper again, but this time it was louder. Common sense would tell her to retreat and just go back home, where it was safe. Yet the pinkette couldn't stop herself from advancing towards the direction the strange whisper was coming from. It was like the voice was calling to her, begging her to come closer. So she listened and the voice became louder with every step. Sakura was running through and around the many trees and bushes in her path now. Even as the voice grew noisier, she still couldn't make out any of the words it said. Nonetheless, Sakura continued running towards it until she reached the edge of a small clearing and the voice disappeared.

She immediately slapped a hand to her mouth to stifle the gasp that erupted from her lips. Laying on the other side of the clearing was a boy. She could hear a few curses escape him as he tried to wrench his orange and black jumpsuit out of the sharp brambles that clawed at his clothes and skin. She studied him and found that he had spiky blond hair and strangely, a few whiskers on his face. There was also a black headband wrapped around his head of course. He was a ninja, Sakura realized, her eyes widening. The boy stumbled to the ground again when he finally freed himself. He rubbed his head and looked up, his blue eyes meeting her emerald ones.

Sakura felt the fear finally overtake her again, the curiosity entirely diminished by now. She turned and started to run.

* * *

"I'm gonna be Hokage and no one is gonna stop me!" Naruto said to himself as he jumped off the tree branch and somersaulted through the air. As he spun around, the blond released handfuls of kunai and shuriken at the targets. Landing on his feet, the Yondaime's son whipped around to see where they'd landed.

"Yes!" Naruto shouted as he fist pumped. All of his weapons had hit the targets dead center. Just as the blond was about to retrieve his weapons and begin a new exercise, he heard a low whisper.

"Who's there?" he asked loudly, turning around and raising an eyebrow. He received no answer. _"Just my imagination I guess,"_ Naruto thought to himself. The teen started to continue his training until he heard the voice again. Instead of ignoring it, Naruto began to advance towards it, his interest piqued. "Just show yourself already!" he yelled with irritation. He frowned with annoyance when the voice sounded again, but no one came out of their hiding spot.

Out of curiosity, Naruto started to move towards the voice again. The Namikaze moved faster when he noticed that it was getting louder. The whispers were so distorted yet somehow he knew they were calling to him, beckoning him to come closer. Naruto hopped into the trees, hoping to navigate through the area faster. He was going as fast as he possibly could now, the wind whistling in his ears and blowing through his hair. Naruto couldn't explain why exactly he continued to pursue the voice, but he just knew it was something important. He was so close. The distorted whispers were so loud now...

"Whoa!" Naruto yelped as he tripped on a disfigured tree branch and tumbled to the ground. He'd become so distracted by the voices that he'd lost focus. Naruto cursed aloud as he landed roughly in a bush with sharp brambles. He groaned in pain, realizing he'd reopened one of his wounds he obtained from the mission earlier. He attempted to carefully pull himself out of the bush but quickly became frustrated when he only received more scratches and cuts. The teen became exasperated and tried to claw his way out of the stupid bush. A string of curses escaped Naruto's lips as he finally ripped himself away from the sharp brambles and stumbled to the ground again.

Rubbing his head and sighing, he realized that the whispers had ceased. Naruto looked up and gasped, his eyes widening with surprise. Standing behind a tree on the other side of the clearing was a girl. There appeared to be a little diamond on her forehead, covered by strands of strange pink hair. The girl appeared to be about his age, but Naruto had never seen her before.

Suddenly, the girl took off running.

"H-Hey! Wait a second!" Naruto called after her, scrambling to his feet. He immediately ran after the girl. Shortly after entering the thick cluster of trees, Naruto caught sight of the fleeing girl and sped up. She was pretty fast. Naruto kept pace with her though. He chased her like this for a few minutes, begging the pink-haired girl to stop for a second. She never did listen though. For whatever reason, Naruto decided to try one more time. "I just wanna talk!" he pleaded with her.

Suddenly, she halted her movements and landed on a high tree branch, close to the trunk. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she'd finally decided to give up. He hopped off another tree branch and aimed to land beside the girl. Just as his feet were about to touch the wood, the girl gave the branch a rough kick and it separated from its place at the trunk.

Thinking quickly, Naruto's hands grabbed onto another more steady branch below the falling broken one. He swung his feet forward, using the momentum he had to flip around and land safely on the branch. Glancing up, the blond was surprised to see that the girl had disappeared.

Naruto took a moment to catch his breath as he scanned the area for any signs that she'd headed in a certain direction. She couldn't have possibly gotten far. That's when he spotted it. In his peripheral vision, the blond caught sight of a nearby bush moving, a soft rustling sound reaching his ears. Naruto dropped down and cautiously advanced towards the bundle of bushes, careful not to make too much noise. When he reached them, the teen crouched down and looked through a hole where he could see the girl. She immediately started to panic and tried to crawl out the other side, but Naruto put out a hand, telling her to stop.

"Wait a second! Please," he begged.

The pink-haired girl flinched at his voice and halted her movements. She whipped her head around and stared at him with clear distrust in her viridian gaze.

Naruto continued to speak, but with his tone becoming more inviting. "I just wanna talk to you," he explained carefully. The girl only blinked at him, the tension in her muscles relaxing very little at his claim.

"My name is Naruto," the boy continued quietly. "You don't have to worry about the formalities or anything. You can just call me Naruto," he finished with a warm, gentle smile.

The girl seemed to have calmed down, he guessed by how her eyes had softened.

"I don't wanna hurt you," he said, very slowly starting to reach out with his hand. He didn't want to scare her off again.

She wasn't very much frightened anymore as she was cautious. Naruto felt a since of relief when the girl finally decided to reach out herself and take his open hand. He helped her out of the bushes and watched as she nervously fidgeted around. "Let's go over here," Naruto said with a massive grin still set on his features. He motioned for her to follow him towards another small clearing and the pair sat down in front of each other.

"What's your name?" Naruto asked cheerily.

The girl seemed to be shocked by his question for some reason, but she considered it for a moment. "S-Sakura," she responded quietly.

"Sakura-chan, that's a nice name!" he replied, placing his hands behind his head. "I'm Naruto, but I guess I've already said that," he chuckled. He was glad to see that his awkward comment elicited a bit of a grin from the girl before it faded. "Are you from here? Do you live in the village, too?" He gestured behind him towards the main part of Konoha.

Sakura nodded hesitantly, looking anywhere but at the boy. "Yeah," she said shortly.

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen," she replied in yet another one word answer.

"Really? Me too!" he shouted excitedly. He cleared his throat and lowered his voice, afraid that it might make her more uncomfortable. "I've never seen you around the village," he stated, his smile faltering.

"I, uh... don't go outside a lot," Sakura replied, flexing her hands against her thighs nervously. This was the first boy she'd ever met in person. She was still a bit wary of him as the conversation progressed. He seemed kind at least. She was careful not to reveal much about her living situation. She was also letting him do most of the talking, considering she'd never held a conversation like this before.

"Oh," Naruto responded. He fell silent after this, racking his brain for more topics that might break the ice.

Sakura swallowed as the silence dragged on. She wasn't sure what to say or do so she remained still and quiet for the time being. Maybe she could trust this boy... She swallowed and decided to glance at him. When she did, she didn't expect her gaze to linger like it did. She narrowed her eyes at the boy's tattered clothes and his abdomen.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked with concern upon seeing the expression on her face.

"You're hurt," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh!" he exclaimed while looking down at the wound on his abdomen he'd reopened. "It's nothing, really," he said, trying to brush off the pain he truly felt from it. To his surprise, Sakura started to reach towards him.

Sakura didn't know what possessed her to move her hand towards him. All she knew was that the boy, Naruto, was hurt and she wanted to help. Tsunade had taught her a bit about medical ninjutsu, but the woman had instructed her to never use it unless absolutely necessary. What was the harm in using it though? Sakura had no clue why Tsunade ordered her to do or not do such things, but she couldn't see what the problem was in helping to heal this boy's wounds. It was quite an oxymoron really, that Tsunade apparently thought there was harm in her healing someone. Sakura hadn't ever healed a person before, but she felt she could do it. She'd studied all of Tsunade's medical textbooks, as she found the field interesting. She'd only done it on animals, but both Tsunade and Shizune complimented her on her supposedly expert control concerning the matter.

Naruto flinched, his jaw dropping in awe, as Sakura placed her hand on his abdomen and a green glow appeared from her hand. The blond felt the pain steadily disappear the longer her hand and the glow stayed there. He watched in silence and wonder as the gash on his abdomen closed up, appearing as if he'd never even been injured.

Sakura retracted her hand after finishing, the green glow fading from her palm. She became worried when she saw the expression resting on Naruto's face when he looked up at her.

"What was that?!" he shouted.

"I-I don't know," she stuttered nervously.

"That was amazing!" he yelled incredulously, leaning towards her with a giant smile. "It's completely gone now!" he said, rubbing the spot where his nasty wound used to be.

Sakura felt the rising heat in her cheeks when she looked away with a hesitant grin at his compliment. "I-I guess," she responded shyly, rubbing the back of her neck.

Naruto was about to commend her further when he noticed something peculiar. "Hey, that diamond on your forehead, it's glowing," he said while pointing at the area.

"Huh?" Sakura breathed, her hands shooting up to touch the spot he mentioned. She couldn't see it herself but she felt a small bit of heat radiating from the spot.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Naruto questioned with genuine curiosity.

"I... I'm not sure," Sakura answered truthfully, her hands lowering to rest on her thighs.

Unbeknownst to the pair, a figure camouflaged in all black had been watching them from the shadows the entire time. Pressing a button on his earpiece, the man spoke with his eyes still trained on the pair. "Inform Otokage-sama immediately. I've located the third..."

* * *

The masked Hokage slammed his pen down and cracked his knuckles with frustration. He was sick of signing documents. Later that day he'd also have to attend a stressful meeting with some of his top battle strategists. Of course, he just couldn't wait for that... It was all just simple annoyances that came with the price of being the village leader. There was too much good that outweighed the bad.

The man's eyes, the only viewable part of his body, shot up when he heard frantic footsteps approaching his office. The two masked members of his personal guard present in the room immediately trained their eyes on the door. When the door burst open, the two rushed forward and stopped when the ends of their spear were inches away from the newcomer's neck.

"Stand down," the Hokage sighed when the man with glasses screamed at the top of his lungs and fell on his backside. He could tell by his uniform that the man was a caretaker. The two guards lowered their weapons and walked back to their posts, unfazed. "What is it?" he asked in a bored tone.

"Hokage-sama!" the caretaker yelled urgently as he stumbled to his feet, adjusting his glasses. "The third has emerged!"

A deadly silence followed.

"What...?" the Hokage breathed, slowly rising from his cluttered desk. "That can't be..."

"The third light in the sanctuary lit up Hokage-sama!" he continued. "I thought it was an error but it didn't go away! It's still lit up like the other two!"

"Take me there immediately," the Hokage demanded, already heading towards the door.

"Y-Yes, Hokage-sama," the man replied with a slight bow. He immediately rushed out of the office with the Hokage and his guards right on his tail. They traveled to the edge of the village, staying in the shadows hidden from the moonlight, until they reached the prison. They went past the prison and to a nearby small hill surrounded by tall trees and thick bushes. The land hadn't been tended to in a while and didn't appear to hide anything special. When they arrived, the man with glasses led the Hokage through the bushes and tall grass until they reached a disfigured tree on the edge of the hill. He then placed his palm between two wide branches and the ground in front of them started to rumble.

The Hokage and his guards watched as the secret door to the sanctuary groaned and screeched as it slid open, allowing the group entry. They followed the man inside and walked past other caretakers, hearing the door seal shut once more behind them. The Hokage gasped upon seeing the three lights in the middle of the massive room he'd just set foot in.

The sanctuary was breathtaking to look at. Clear water with aqua tinges to it surrounded the path leading to the center of the room, with a small waterfall set on the other side of the cave-like area. The ceiling and walls were the same old rocky earth that had been there when the sanctuary was first made. Purely green grass lined the path to the middle of the sanctuary, where a large stone sat. Inside the large stone were three separate pieces of the meteor that had landed outside the village seventeen years ago. Each was lit up, shining brightly in different colors. The orange piece had lit up first many years ago, with the purple one following soon after. The green piece, however, had remained completely dark until now.

"No... That's impossible!" the Hokage shouted when he caught sight of the newly lit green chunk of meteor.

"The only way it would start shining is if the third has awakened their powers," the male explained, staring at the glowing rocks. He was confused by the way the village leader was acting. Why would he be so upset about the third emerging?

"I know that!" the Hokage shouted angrily, causing the caretaker to jump.

The male adjusted his glasses and continued to look at the stone. "The three will unite... The war will finally be over..." he said to himself with a smile.

The Hokage narrowed his eyes at the caretaker who had his back to him. Of course he didn't know. The girl was supposed to have been disposed of seventeen years ago. Yet somehow she survived and now she'd awakened her powers. Forcing himself to calm down, the Hokage signaled to one of his guards to come closer. "Send for _him_ immediately," he whispered to his guard. "I'll be back in my office shortly."

The cloaked guard with the mask and spear nodded in affirmation and turned, heading for the sanctuary's exit.

* * *

He walked down the dark corridor, watching with a bored expression as people rushed to the sides of the hallway and halted their conversations until he passed. It was nothing new to him. People knew not to irritate him or stand in his way. That's why everyone scattered when he was near, talking in hushed whispers as he walked by. Then they continued on with their lives when he was gone, breathing sighs of relief and acting as if nothing had happened.

It was a good thing these people acted the way they did when he was around, especially today. He was never in the mood to deal with pitiful annoyances such as them, but especially not right now. He'd been summoned right in the middle of a training session. The terrified messenger had insisted the sender was adamant about him coming, so he finally stormed past the frightened ninja and towards the place he was told to travel to.

He finally reached his destination and opened the door without asking for entry. He didn't care if the man inside snapped at him or not. He doubted the man would care anyway, considering he was his favorite student.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun," the snake-like male drawled.

"Orochimaru," Sasuke responded evenly, his version of a greeting.

"You're wondering why I summoned you, correct?"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted in reply, folding his arms.

"Come with me," the Otokage beckoned.

Sasuke did as he was told and followed the snake-like figure as they walked to a door on the other side of the dimly lit room. He followed the man into another room, more concerned with getting back to his training than whatever Orochimaru desired with him.

Orochimaru glanced at the blank expression on the Uchiha's face and then gestured to a large stone in the middle of the room. There were three chunks from a meteor inside the big stone, each glowing a different color. "I know you've been in here before, when only two of these stones were shining."

"Ah," Sasuke replied shortly, growing impatient.

Orochimaru stepped closer to the rock, his golden eyes glimmering with the reflection of the glowing meteor chunks. "You know how these obtain their glows, Sasuke-kun. The third has emerged..."

"And?" the raven-haired male questioned dryly, not in the least bit interested. He had more important tasks to attend to rather than worry about some stupid prophecy he was a part of. The only thing he cared about concerning the prophecy was the power it gave him. When he'd learn to fully control it, he'd use it to kill _him..._ Sasuke's jaw clenched at the thought of the man. He couldn't wait to finally put an end to him.

Orochimaru only chuckled. Sasuke was fortunate that he wasn't anyone else. If he was anyone other than Uchiha Sasuke, sarcastic comments like that wouldn't be taken lightly. "If the Sound is to have the advantage, it would be beneficial if we had two of the three prophesied to end the war."

Sasuke narrowed his onyx orbs. He knew exactly where this was heading.

"I want you to capture this person and bring them back here to me," Orochimaru announced, a large smirk on his pale features. "After all, they've only just unlocked their powers. There's no way they'll know how to control them..."

* * *

"You summoned me?" said the newcomer as he appeared in front of the Hokage's desk. The man in the ANBU uniform placed his hands behind his back in a formal manner.

The Hokage held back a snort at the long-haired man standing in front of him. "We seem to have a problem."

"Oh?" the man questioned, his face as blank as ever behind the cat mask.

"It appears," the Hokage began reluctantly, not wanting to admit it aloud in front of _him,_ "that the plan put into place nearly seventeen years ago was a failure." He noticed the slightest of twitches in the dark-haired man's arm.

"I see," he responded in his usual manner, not betraying at all what he was feeling.

The Hokage placed his elbows on the desk, entwining his gloved hands together in front of his face. "I have a task for you, Itachi..."

The Uchiha offered no response.

"Find the girl and bring her to me. She's most definitely still in the village. Someone has been hiding her this entire time. Search everywhere and don't stop until she's found," the village leader ordered. He stood up to meet the Uchiha's gaze. "As a little reminder for you, I advise you to not forget our deal, Itachi..."

Itachi nodded and responded with his usual cool demeanor, unfazed by the man's words. "May I also remind you, Hokage-sama, that I know who you and your wife truly are..."

With this Itachi vanished, leaving the frustrated Hokage and his guards alone in the office.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** As you can tell, this chapter was mainly just setting things up. I didn't expect it to be this long but I think it turned out okay. I was unsure about writing an alternate universe fanfiction at first and I still have some doubts but I guess that's expected. Not sure what day I'd want to update this because I usually update my other story on Saturdays so I don't want to update them both on the same day. If anyone has a preferred day then feel free to tell me in a review or PM me. I'll try to update at least once every week or two if possible and if people like the story. Please review and tell me what you think so far! Your feedback is always appreciated! Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed!


	2. Run

**Author's Note:** Glad I was able to finish this chapter within a week. I didn't think I would since I've been mainly working on a long chapter for my other ongoing story, but when I started writing this everything just kind of flowed. I ended up finishing this chapter in no time. Thank you to everyone for the support you've given me after just one chapter! I didn't expect the response I got at all and was pleasantly surprised. Hope you enjoy the second chapter as well!

* * *

Sasuke stared silently at the heavy rain splashing on the disfigured rocky ground feet away from him. He didn't know why he preferred the terrain of training field four over the others. Perhaps because it provided more of a challenge in conditions like this, when the ground was deformed. The rain added to how taxing the training ground was as well. He tilted his head to the side when he heard the door behind him open and footsteps approaching.

"Orochimaru-sama sent this," the masked messenger said as he held out his hand.

Sasuke took the note and brought it into view. The Uchiha crumpled the letter up after reading its content, throwing it in a nearby trash bin. So Orochimaru wished to see him later and discuss the mission he'd soon be partaking in. He would be departing in the near future it seemed.

Sasuke lowered his gaze. He'd be going back to Konoha, his home. No, _former_ home. Although, he didn't quite consider Oto a home either. He didn't belong anywhere anymore. Avenging his clan was his only reason for existing now, his main goal. There was no where for him to go to afterwards, no _one_ to go to...

An expression of indifference adorned the Uchiha's features as he wrapped the blindfold around his eyes and stepped out from under the large overhang shielding him from the rain. He'd grown accustomed to the loneliness, the feeling of belonging no where. They were weaknesses and would only hinder his quest to defeat Itachi if he allowed them to take prominence.

Sasuke stopped in an open area of the rocky, slippery training field. He rested a hand on the hilt of his sword, waiting patiently. His thoughts trailed to the upcoming mission. He couldn't help but wonder about the third and what kind of powers the person held. He knew hardly anything about the third, not even if the person was male or female. Of course, he didn't care much at all about the prophecy, but if this person was to be captured and they cooperated, maybe they could assist him concerning his task to beat Itachi. That is, if he deemed them useful enough to help him.

Clang!

Sasuke deflected the kunai effortlessly. He turned when the ninja approached and their weapons clashed. It didn't take long for him to defeat the opponent. Sasuke cocked his head to the side when he heard something else. He pivoted on his heel and worked to block the barrage of shuriken that hurtled towards him. All were deflected except for one, which sliced open his sleeve and left a small cut in his skin.

Sasuke cursed under his breath when he felt the faint stinging sensation. That wasn't good enough. He needed to step it up. The Uchiha rushed forward and launched himself off the ground. He evaded another swarm of shuriken as he flew upwards and over his opponent perched on top of the small incline. His hands quickly weaved through a series of hand signs as he flipped around to face the ninja hidden from view. A moment later, a fireball erupted from his mouth and sailed downwards.

Sasuke landed gracefully on the uneven ground below and listened carefully. He was able to catch a muffled groan through the sound of the rain hitting the rocks, so he concluded the fireball had hit its target. Two more to go.

Just as he finished the thought, the sound of footsteps met his ears once more. Then, they disappeared an instant later. _"He's in the air,"_ Sasuke realized. Another noise met his ears. This time it was a mixed sound, like rushing water and something flying fast. The Uchiha performed a series of backwards somersaults in order to dodge the water bullets. The moment he heard feet touch the ground behind him, Sasuke whirled around and swept the ninja's legs out from under him. He quickly pointed his sword at the person and placed a foot on their chest. He knew from the slight movement in the person's body that they'd surrendered.

Sasuke removed himself from the defeated opponent and focused solely on the sounds around him. All he could hear was the pitter-pattering of the rain splashing against the earth. Where was the last opponent? Suddenly, a rush of strong wind hit him. The Uchiha slid along the rocky ground but held his footing. He gritted his teeth as a deafening screeching noise entered his ears. Sasuke rolled away and behind a nearby rock formation for cover. A frustrating ringing settled in his ears, caused by the loud noise.

 _"Feel it,"_ the Uchiha immediately thought, switching strategies. He sheathed his sword and placed his hands on the ground. After a minute, he felt a very subtle vibration in the ground below. Sasuke gripped the rock above and swung his body over it. His last opponent blocked the attempted kick and grabbed his leg, throwing him into the air. Sasuke pressed a seal on his wrist, a large shuriken forming in his hand a second later. He launched it towards the man and heard a poofing noise.

A smirk came to rest on the Uchiha's features. It was a clone, like he'd thought. The ringing in his ears had settled so he could hear the sound of the man sailing towards him from behind to attack. Sasuke wrapped his hand around the string attached to the shuriken and gave it a strong tug. He twisted his body around so that it missed him and flew towards his opponent. Sasuke heard a cry of pain when his feet hit the ground, along with a thud right after.

The Uchiha removed his blindfold and pushed his soaking wet hair so that it was out of his eyes. The first thing he saw was his previous three opponents helping the last one up and taking the massive shuriken out of his chest. They then turned to Sasuke and bowed. He returned the bow with a small one of his own, as was customary after training sessions here.

The four shinobi vanished an instant later, leaving the dark-haired male alone in training field four. Sasuke turned and headed for the entrance, peering at the cut on his arm. Someone else would clean up the field later.

He needed to improve. Suffering as little as a scratch wouldn't do for him. He noted that he needed to improve in the area of touch as well. He relied too much on his eyes and wanted to be able to depend on his other senses more in battle, just in case.

With his signature emotionless expression, Sasuke entered the building. He decided to visit Orochimaru after changing clothes and drying his hair off. After all, he needed to be given more details about the mission if he were to succeed.

He couldn't help but wonder what had changed inside Konohagakure during his absence. He wouldn't be sticking around long enough to see if he could help it. The Uchiha didn't want to run into any old acquaintances. They would only be a burden to him while he completed his mission, especially Naruto...

Sasuke's expression contorted into one of disgust as he thought of the boy, his old teammate. The blond would certainly get in his way if he got the chance. Sasuke wouldn't hesitate to put an end to him then. He didn't care if the Namikaze is, no _was,_ his friend or not. If Naruto or anyone else decided to get in his way, he would do whatever was necessary in order to compete his mission.

* * *

Sakura still couldn't believe it. She had a friend. She of all people had someone she could call friend...

She'd been sneaking out and visiting Naruto for nearly two weeks now. Tsunade and Shizune were still clueless. Sakura had no idea what they'd been so worried about all her life, especially Tsunade. She'd returned perfectly fine each night after talking and sometimes even watching Naruto train. The pink-haired girl had never been happier.

"Hey Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted when she arrived at their usual meeting place.

"Hi Naruto," Sakura returned with an excited wave. "Why are your hands behind your back?" she asked upon noticing his peculiar stance.

"Because today we're gonna train together with these!" he announced, bringing his hands out from behind his back to reveal an assortment of ninja tools.

Sakura was surprised for a moment. "You wanna train _with_ me?" she questioned, rubbing the back of her warm neck.

The blond nodded, a signature grin on his lips. "Come on! It'll be fun!" he begged.

Sakura considered the proposal for a minute. She previously told the boy that she had a bit of ninja training, but for self-defense only. The pinkette couldn't deny that she was interested in becoming an actual shinobi, but it would never happen as long as she was stuck in that little bunker most of the time. Sakura stifled an expression of resentment towards Tsunade as she continued to think. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to know a little more though, for self-defense purposes.

Slowly, Sakura started to nod. "Okay, I will," she answered.

"I knew you couldn't resist," Naruto responded with a chuckle, gesturing for her to follow him.

Sakura playfully rolled her eyes at the comment and walked next to the boy.

"Have you ever trained with kunai or shuriken?" Naruto asked shortly after.

"A little, but I haven't practiced in a long time," she admitted truthfully.

He nodded with understanding and then started to chuckle. "My parents finally started asking why I keep going out so late at night. I've been telling them I do it to train, which isn't a total lie. But I told them the whole truth this time."

"Whole truth?" Sakura asked with a hint of worry in her voice. She hadn't given away anything too personal before today, so there wasn't much to worry about.

"Yeah, I said I had a new friend that's a girl and she can't go outside much," he continued. "Then they started teasing me with all that dating stuff no matter how much I tried to tell them we're just friends."

 _"Dating?"_ Sakura thought. She'd never thought of the prospect of dating Naruto. She'd been so elated and caught up over the fact that she finally had a friend. The girl stole a glance at the boy prior to pondering again. Of course, she didn't have anyone to compare him to, but Sakura thought that Naruto was handsome, in a boyish sort of manner though. She wasn't sure she'd ever date someone like Naruto, but she truly was glad to have such a good friend like him.

"Anyways, they said they'd like to meet you one day. Maybe have you and some other friends over for dinner. Then we could all hang out," he continued as they reached their waypoint.

Sakura stared blankly at the targets Naruto had set up. A wave of sadness coursed through her at the invitation. "Maybe someday," was all she replied with.

Naruto turned to hand her a few weapons, the sorrowful expression she attempted to hide not going unnoticed by him. "What's wrong?"

"I-It's nothing," Sakura stuttered as she took the ninja tools from him.

Naruto frowned as he turned back towards the targets and prepared to throw a handful of shuriken at one. "I don't want to pressure you into telling me, but I promise I won't tell anyone else if you don't want me to," he said. When she made no response, a small grin lifted onto his lips. "I guess I better come clean myself though."

Sakura raised an eyebrow with slight confusion.

"I should tell you who my parents are. If I'm being honest, I wasn't sure at first, but now I know I can trust you. I usually don't tell people because they already know of course, or they immediately label and judge me. Anyway, my old man is the Yondaime and my mother, well you can figure that out," he chuckled as he threw the shuriken. Each one hit the center of the target.

"The Yondaime?" Sakura questioned, her jaw dropping in amazement.

"Mhm, pretty cool right?"

"That's amazing," she half-whispered. She'd read somewhere about the former Hokage having a child, but Sakura probably would have never assumed his child to be Naruto.

"I'm a bit surprised you didn't know. I mean, some people don't but most people do these days," he continued, his smile falling. "Ever since it came to light that I'm one of the three part of the prophecy... I'm a hero or a monster to mostly everyone..." Naruto trailed off after that.

Sakura threw one of the kunai. It landed halfway between the target's edge and center. "Prophecy?"

Naruto immediately turned towards her, a dumbfounded expression placing itself onto his features. "Y-You don't know about the prophecy?!" he asked with total bewilderment. Everyone in Konoha knew about the prophecy, or at least he thought everybody did...

"Sh-Should I?" Sakura stuttered, attempting to avoid eye contact with the blond. She could feel the back of her neck heating up from embarrassment again.

"Um, I uh, just assumed you knew," he said while scratching his head. "About seventeen years ago, a meteor landed outside the village. Three lights came out of it and went to different parts of the village, into three pregnant women. One was my mother. It gave each of the three babies inside 'em different powers. The prophecy said that three were going to be born and would unite to end the war. Everyone has been worried lately though. The third still hasn't been found and the second..." Naruto trailed off again.

Sakura remained silent for a minute. That was a lot of information to take in. "What happened to the second?" she finally asked.

Naruto's head lowered, a frown still etched into his features. "He was my mission partner. His name is Uchiha Sasuke. Something happened when he was young that left him scarred forever. He made it his goal to get revenge for what happened. Sasuke felt like he wasn't good enough here and could never be at the level he wanted to achieve if he stayed here. Then one day, someone offered to help him control his power and become stronger." The blond paused, his fists clenching with frustration. "We ended up having a battle. I wasn't strong enough to stop him and... he left."

"I'm sorry," Sakura muttered in an attempt to make him feel better. Uchiha Sasuke... she felt like she'd seen or heard that name before.

Naruto took a deep breath and lifted his head, turning to face her with a smile again set on his lips. "I haven't given up on that idiot though. I'll make sure he comes back. We have a prophecy to fulfill!" he shouted with a laugh. "Even after all that happened, I still consider him my friend. People call me crazy for it, but I know he's not a bad person no matter how much they try to convince me he is."

"Well, that just makes you a good friend," Sakura responded with a smile of her own, launching another kunai knife towards the target. This time it landed right outside the center.

"Haha, thanks. Right now I think I'm gonna focus more on finding the third than bringing that jerk back though," he said, launching another handful of shuriken towards a different target. The results were the same as last time.

"How do you plan on finding the third?" Sakura asked, preparing to throw another kunai knife.

"I'm not exactly sure yet. I think that'll be more challenging than dragging Sasuke's butt back here. There is one thing I think I can look for though," he explained, turning to fully face her.

Sakura launched the kunai towards the target and another grin lifted on her features when it hit the center. She then twisted around to face Naruto, surprised to see that he'd lifted his shirt. The pink-haired girl was more shocked to notice what was on his stomach.

Naruto pointed at the spiraling mark on his abdomen before elaborating. "Sasuke and I were both born with marks that look like some sort of seal," the boy explained. He then pointed to the junction between his shoulder and neck. "Sasuke's is here, on the left side of his body. The middle of his looks like three tomoe together while mine is a spiral," the Namikaze finished. "So, if the pattern continues, then the third might have a mark that appears similar to ours."

Sakura nodded in understanding. She couldn't help but wonder herself...

Who was the third?

* * *

Sakura resealed the entrance and tiptoed towards the biggest room in the bunker, the living room that connected all the other rooms in the underground space. Upon entering, the girl immediately froze. She swallowed with fear and uncertainty when she made eye contact with the two women standing across from her.

"Where have you been?" Tsunade asked with her arms crossed. She wasn't pleased at all when she entered the bunker after a long, late shift at the hospital to find Sakura no where inside.

Sakura looked past Tsunade to see Shizune fidgeting around nervously behind her. "Out," Sakura responded in a near whisper. She thought she could beat the woman home from her shift but she'd been terribly mistaken.

"How long has this been going on? Don't you dare lie to me either," Tsunade almost growled. She was so close to exploding on the girl.

"A couple weeks," Sakura admitted truthfully, earning a frustrated sigh from Tsunade. "I have a friend," she continued, trying to keep her expression composed.

Tsunade gritted her teeth and gripped her hair tightly. She barely kept herself from ripping clumps of blonde locks out. "Sakura, I've told you so many times... You can not go outside. You do not know who you can trust!"

"I know I can trust him!" Sakura shouted back, taking a step forward. "I've come back fine for the past two weeks! Nothing bad has happened! Why do you try to keep me here like a slave all the time?!"

"I can't tell you!" Tsunade screamed back, advancing towards the defiant pink-haired girl. "I'll let you go outside one more time... You'll tell this boy tomorrow night that you can't see him anymore and then you'll come straight back here!" she erupted. "Am I clear?!"

Sakura's lips quivered at the prospect of never seeing Naruto again. "So you don't want me to have friends...?"

Tsunade slapped a hand to her forehead. "No, it's not that I don't want you to have friends. It's that you have to be kept safe. You can't go out and interact with people you don't know!"

The tears Sakura had so desperately tried to keep from spilling finally fell from her eyes in large droplets, leaving streaks behind on her cheeks as they fell to the carpet. "You're lying! You just want to keep me enslaved here! I finally have a friend and now you're telling me to just get rid of him?! I hate you! You will never be a mother to me!" she shouted before running into her room and furiously slamming the door behind her. Sakura curled up on her bed and cried, her body racking with sobs.

Shizune watched in silence as Tsunade lowered her head, her anger seeming to have dissipated, when she walked towards Sakura's closed door. She reached out in order to push it open, but the woman ended up stopping. Her hand fell after a minute. Tsunade eventually turned and pushed the door to her room open instead. Shizune only looked on as it closed, leaving her alone in the bunker's living room.

* * *

"What else can I do Shizune?" Tsunade asked as she lifted the glass of sake to her lips, glancing through the window at the rising sun.

"I'm not sure," the woman answered as she watched TonTon trot around the office.

"I'm such a failure," the blonde woman said after setting the sake down.

"Don't say that," Shizune pleaded. She'd been trying to cheer the woman up all morning but couldn't manage to get her in higher spirits for even an instant.

"Why shouldn't I? It's true," she continued with a defeated sigh. "I'm a terrible substitute of a mother. I've kept her away from the world all her life..."

"You do it to keep her safe," Shizune tried to reassure the woman. "She doesn't understand now, but she will one day."

"She's nearly seventeen Shizune... and she hardly knows anything about the outside world. I wanted to save up enough money back then, when she was little. Then I'd take her far away from here and we could live freely. She wouldn't have to worry about this prophecy and I wouldn't have to hide her to keep her safe," Tsunade explained, taking another sip of sake. "But I've gambled away all that money I'd saved. Stupid me, thinking I could actually win and just get the rest of the money that way. Can't say I blame her for hating me."

Shizune stared down at her hands, a sorrowful frown present on her features. "It's still only you and I that know about her being the third," she whispered.

Tsunade shrugged, her eyes narrowing. "More people might know now since she's been outside. This little friend of hers might."

"I highly doubt it. She's never used her powers to their full extent," Shizune continued to reassure. "I'm sure things will get better over time. Maybe you should surprise her with something tonight after she comes home. To cheer her up, you know?"

Tsunade considered the idea for a moment, her gaze traveling back to the glass of sake. "She does like sweets. I haven't brought her any in a while."

"There you go!" Shizune encouraged as TonTon hopped into her lap.

* * *

Itachi swung his feet over the edge of the bed and rubbed away at his tired eyes. He then sauntered into the bathroom of his dainty little apartment, turning the light on and then doing his business. Itachi then turned the sink on and washed his hands. Every time he did so, he imagined the blood of his clan still covering his palms. It never seemed to go away even as the years passed...

The Uchiha dried off his hands and lifted his head to see his reflection in the bathroom mirror. It was the same old thing he viewed every morning.

Truly, he was a monster...

That's all he ever thought of anymore when he looked at himself. He never showed it to anyone though. The Uchiha never let his expression reveal anything he felt. He couldn't afford to.

He exited the bathroom and started to dress in his ANBU uniform. His thoughts trailed to that night once more. It plagued him twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. He never cried over it anymore though. His tears had been spent years ago. Itachi didn't have any tears left in him to cry. He _couldn't_ have any left...

Itachi couldn't afford to let his guard down. He refused to let anyone take advantage of him under his present circumstances. He was here, doing this, for one reason only...

The Hokage had better keep his end of the deal. If even for a single moment Itachi thought the man would go against the simple terms he set, the Hokage would be put to an end. His wife too, for that matter. He knew all their secrets, secrets that would destroy their reputations the moment the public found out about them.

Itachi exited the apartment once he was fully dressed in his ANBU attire and began to speed across the rooftops. He finally stopped once he reached the tallest building in Konoha. The Uchiha quietly watched the village wake along with the rising sun from his perch.

He needed to continue his investigation today. He'd discovered nothing over the past couple of weeks. Whoever had hidden the girl had done so well. Itachi hadn't been present during the mission seventeen years ago, but he'd been informed of what she looked like when she was last seen. Pink hair and a small diamond on her forehead. Those were the things he had to go off of. They were enough.

After the sun had risen, Itachi leaped off the building and began to travel by rooftop again. He stopped when a familiar orange and black jumpsuit came into view, traveling down one of Konoha's streets. Ah, the Yondaime's son, the first. His little brother's friend.

His little brother...

Itachi knew Naruto and Sasuke had a rivalry going on ever since they were little. He watched them progress over the years when he had the chance. He'd been slightly surprised to see how devastated the blond was after Sasuke left. Sasuke never was the best at making friends, so it was a bit of a shock to see how close he'd grown to Naruto. How close of a bond they must've had... The Namikaze still considered his little brother a friend, he knew. He wondered if the boy really could manage to bring the stubborn younger Uchiha back. Maybe another would...

Itachi started to move again, heading towards his original destination. His mind once again trailed back to the third. He wondered if the Sound knew of her emergence yet. They would certainly be after her soon if so. Itachi narrowed his eyes a fraction behind the cat mask.

This meant there was also a chance that Sasuke would be making a visit to Konoha...

* * *

"I'm home," Tsunade announced upon entering the underground bunker. Sakura, who was sitting on the couch, offered no greeting to the woman. She stared straight ahead, an expression of sorrow set on her features. She'd been crying the entire day...

"Don't worry, I'm about to go and tell him," Sakura said as she got up and traveled to the back entrance. Tsunade's shift had been a little late tonight so she could meet Naruto around their usual time.

Tsunade watched silently as the pink-haired girl climbed out of the entrance as she left, resealing it behind her. She then sat down on the couch and pulled something out of her bag. Tsunade stared at the box of chocolates with a frown. They were Sakura's favorite. Tsunade didn't expect their relationship to better much after giving the girl such a simple gift.

It was the very least she could give though after forcing Sakura to give up her first friend...

* * *

Sakura reached the top of the village and started to walk through the cluster of trees and bushes ahead of her. She wiped away at the moisture on her cheeks and sniffed as she went. She didn't want to tell Naruto she could never see him again. It crossed her mind multiple times to just continue sneaking out, but she was certain Tsunade would keep a closer watch on her now.

Tsunade...

What was that woman's problem?! Sakura refused to acknowledge her as anything close to a mother. All she did was keep her locked up in that little bunker all day, and for what reason?! Because of strange people she guessed. Why did she have to be hidden away because of that though? It didn't make sense... None of it made sense...

Suddenly, Sakura halted. The whispers, they were back. Sakura hadn't heard them since the first time she'd seen Naruto. This time they were a bit different. She couldn't find the words to describe how it differed. They sounded... darker? The pink-haired girl picked up her pace and sped towards the distorted voice.

"Naruto?" she asked. Maybe he was in trouble. "Naruto!" Sakura ran faster than she had before. The voices were getting louder the closer she traveled towards them, just like the first time. Something told her that whatever was lying in their usual meeting place wouldn't be so pleasant this time around.

Then, the voices disappeared.

Sakura skidded to a halt at the edge of the clearing, fists balled and eyes flicking around in an attempt to find the danger. Her breath caught in her throat when her emerald gaze found the disturbance. Naruto was no where to be found. Instead, a whole squad of ninjas clad in purple camouflage stood across the clearing. They didn't look like they belonged to Konoha either. Her suspicions were proven correct when she caught sight of the symbol on their headbands. _"They're from the Sound village,"_ Sakura thought, a wave of panic overcoming her at the realization. That's who the Leaf was fighting against in the war.

Sakura's eyes locked with the onyx gaze of a ninja that looked different than the rest. Standing in the middle of the group was a boy about her age. He had a high-collared shirt and dark hair that stood up in the back. Her eyes found his obsidian ones once more and her whole body froze. Something about this boy's aura scared her... Sakura willed herself to move, to run away as fast as she could, but her body refused to comply. She was anchored to the spot.

A strange look appeared on the boy's previously emotionless face as he studied her. Then, he leaned to the side and said something to one of the darkly clad ninjas. He waited for the other man to reply before returning his attention to Sakura. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. You surrender now or I chase you down. Your choice," the boy said, his eyes narrowing.

Surrender? For what?! Sakura hadn't done anything to make anyone angry, at least she didn't think so. What in the world did they want with her?! Whatever it was, she didn't want any part of it. The pinkette's body finally complied with her wish to move, and she was running the opposite direction a moment later. Sakura traveled as fast as her feet could possibly carry her. Her heart thundered against her chest as she repeatedly looked over her shoulder, almost tripping a few times in the process.

The only thing her mind told her to do was keep running.

* * *

Naruto hurriedly hopped through the trees towards the meeting place. He was running later than usual tonight. He'd agreed to help his mother put together some new furniture she'd bought and hadn't realized how late it was after finishing.

Naruto reached the familiar clearing and eagerly scanned the area for his friend. "Sakura-chan?" he called after surveying the environment and concluding she was not nearby. The blond scratched his head in confusion. Sakura was always there on time.

He looked around and caught sight of something peculiar. Naruto narrowed his blue eyes at the fresh footprints surrounding him. The boy crouched down to gain a closer view. There was more than one set, so that meant there were quite a few people that'd been there recently.

"No," Naruto whispered, jumping to his feet. At that exact moment, distant sounds of explosions reached his ears. The village was under attack. The blond immediately started to head back towards the main part of Konoha. He had to stop them!

Naruto skidded to a halt a few minutes later when he reached the edge of the precipice that overlooked the village. Crowds of villagers frantically rushed through the streets of Konoha, trying to reach safety. Screams of panic entered the Namikaze's ears while he viewed the damage. He could see a fire that had started in a building across the village. _"That's where the archives and war reports are,"_ he realized. He started to depart for the building when another thought stopped him.

What happened to Sakura? Maybe she had heard the explosions just as she was about to come and meet him. She may have just stayed home. No, she was always there on time, no matter what. He had to make sure she was safe. Naruto immediately rushed into the village, looking everywhere he went for Sakura.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Next chapter we'll jump right into the action! It'll focus mainly on Sasuke and Sakura, taking place from their viewpoints. Naruto and Itachi will have some parts as well. The mysterious Hokage will make a return, too. We'll get a bit more insight into his and Itachi's deal. This chapter wasn't as long as the first one but this is where I intended to end it. I think next chapter might be longer though. Hope you enjoyed! Please review and tell me what you think so far! Thank you for your support!


	3. Power

**Author's Note:** Sorry for making everyone wait for over a month for this update! I had to deal with some senior stuff before school starts and band camp among other things. This chapter is pretty long though, so I hope it can make up for the wait. Thanks for the support and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Whispers.

That's what he heard before she became visible to him. They became louder and louder as she approached, yet he couldn't make out a single word. Then all of a sudden, they vanished when she appeared, leaving no signs they'd been there to begin with.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he studied the girl who stood across the clearing. "This is her?" he questioned the spy as he leaned to the side. He blinked and returned his attention to her when he received a nod of confirmation. Sasuke didn't know what he was expecting, but certainly not this. This girl was terrified from simply laying eyes on him, so much so that she couldn't move. None of it went unnoticed by Sasuke. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. You surrender now or I chase you down. Your choice," he warned.

And just like that, she was gone. Sasuke held up a hand when his squad motioned to follow her. "Focus on your mission and I'll take care of mine!" he reprimanded. The squad members clad in purple camouflage traded glances before disappearing, presumably heading towards the village.

"Tch," Sasuke scoffed as he started after the girl. He didn't need any help, especially from any of Orochimaru's lackeys. The pink-haired teen came into view not long after. Sasuke raised an eyebrow a fraction when she peered over her shoulder and noticed his presence, speeding up a moment after. The Uchiha pushed himself harder to catch up. He would admit she was quite fast, but not as fast as him.

Sasuke waited until he was close enough and they were out of the cluster of trees and brush to place his hand on the hilt of his sword. He readied himself to unsheathe it and strike.

Sakura's eyes widened when she looked back once more and saw the dark-haired boy lunge towards her, swinging his sword in the process. Panic engulfed her at the motion. There was no way she'd be able to dodge and even if she did, he was faster than her so one of his strikes would definitely land. She couldn't outrun him either. Just as the blade was about to meet her skin, Sakura's feet left the ground and her body lowered out of the boy's reach. It didn't take long for her to realize that she was falling.

Sasuke skidded to a halt at the very edge of the precipice and sheathed his sword, releasing a curse as he did so. He raised an eyebrow when he peered over the edge and saw the pink-haired teen falling, frantically looking for something to grab onto or break her fall. Did she have no knowledge of the shinobi art? First, she made no effort to attack him and now she couldn't even find a way to get out of this situation. It was such a simple thing to Sasuke and every other ninja. At least, it should be...

The Uchiha sighed with boredom as he walked away from the precipice and turned when he decided the distance was good enough. Orochimaru wouldn't be too happy if he were to let the girl die, especially in such a stupid way like this. This mission would be much easier than he thought.

Sasuke ran forward and jumped off the cliff, diving downwards so he could get closer to her. The Uchiha waited until he was lower than the girl to tug his armband upwards out of the way. He then pressed the seal that'd been under it and a massive shuriken appeared in his hand. Sasuke wrenched his arm backwards and flung the item towards the rocky surface of the village walls. He watched as it sunk into the earth before he gripped the wire attached to it and used the momentum to swing towards the falling girl. She seemed to know what he was doing, as she reached for his outstretched hand when he got closer.

Sasuke started to focus on bringing them to a safe landing when they gripped each other's wrists. To his surprise, the girl tugged him forward and launched her foot towards him. The force of the kick meeting his face caused the pair to separate and fly in different directions. Sasuke fought to steady himself and stopped somersaulting backwards just before his back could hit the rocky village walls. He landed on his feet and immediately went into a crouching position as he recovered, channeling chakra to his feet so he would stick to the wall. The male caught sight of the girl, who'd landed safely on a house's rooftop, beginning to run again.

Sasuke smirked as he wiped a trickle of blood off his lip, his eyes still trained on the teen's running form. Perhaps she wasn't as defenseless as he presumed...

* * *

"Anything Itachi?" the Hokage asked with his hands tightly gripping the edge of the desk.

"Nothing of value yet Hokage-sama," the Uchiha responded in a nonchalant manner.

The masked man harshly slammed a fist onto the desk, causing a small container of writing utensils to fall over and spill its contents.

"Calm down dear," the man's wife urged as she placed a hand on his shoulder. The equally covered woman flashed a glare towards the indifferent Uchiha and returned her attention to Daiki. "This won't be an issue for much longer. Perhaps if someone tried harder," she growled, scowling towards the unmoving Uchiha.

It was the Hokage's turn to cast a look of anger towards Itachi. "Maybe you aren't taking our deal very seriously."

"What reason would I have to go against the terms Hokage-sama?" Itachi asked.

Daiki stood up and leaned across the desk, staring directly into the masked Uchiha's dark eyes. "It's been weeks and you still have nothing! I expect more from a so called prodigy such as yourself," he scoffed.

"Whoever took it upon themselves to hide the girl has done so well," Itachi replied in a bored tone. "If you allow me more time then I know I'll find her Hokage-sama."

Before Daiki or Fumiko could reprimand the Uchiha anymore, a nearby explosion caught the pair off guard. Both jumped in surprise at the loud bang before rushing to the window to see what the disturbance was. Itachi's eyes widened a fraction as he curiously peeked through the glass, too. Screams of panic reached his ears as he watched people run away from the building that erupted in flames.

"Sound!" the Hokage shouted with fury. "They've launched an attack on the village's military base," he realized. "They maybe looking to capture strategists or steal plans," the male muttered.

Itachi stilled for a moment at the mention of the enemy village, the village his brother currently resided in... He couldn't help but wonder if Sasuke might be with the intruders.

"Itachi!" the Hokage shouted, breaking the man out of his thoughts. "What are you waiting for?! Go and help stop them!"

"Very well," Itachi responded as the masked Hokage continued to shout orders to his guards present in the room. He exited and rushed towards the damaged building, traveling by rooftop so as not to be hindered by the crowds of panicking citizens.

* * *

Sasuke released a curse as the pink-haired girl somersaulted over another cluster of shuriken he threw towards her. This task had proven to be harder than he'd originally thought. She wasn't as fast as him but her evasion tactics made up for the lack of speed. Every time he would get close, she'd unexpectedly launch herself towards another building or hop down and run through panicking crowds. Her actions were unpredictable. Sasuke easily figured out the biggest factor as to why that was so.

She was untrained.

That much was obvious to him at this point. Of course, she'd received basic training, but nothing more than that. The girl never made an effort to attack him unless necessary.

Sasuke was broken out of his thoughts when she hopped down into the crowded streets after dodging the barrage of shuriken. The Uchiha kept up with the pink-haired girl as she ran through the crowd and towards an outside market. He ended up having to hop over and avoid displays she knocked over in an attempt to slow him down. Boy this was annoying...

A small smirk lifted on Sasuke's lips when he peered past her and noticed that they were about to reach the end of the market, and a dead end at that. Now was his chance. He'd catch her if she attempted to sidestep towards the crowds again. That meant her only option was...

Sasuke immediately weaved through a series of hand signs as the girl made an effort to run up the next building's brick wall at the dead end and flip over him. The Uchiha craned his neck and a fireball erupted from his mouth when she sailed over his head. He watched with satisfaction as the attack met its mark, only to narrow his eyes in confusion when part of the market's canopy caught on fire and the girl was no where to be seen.

Sasuke cursed aloud at the realization. She must've created a clone when she dropped down. The raven-haired male quickly scaled the brick building next to the outside market and scanned the village for the girl. He couldn't afford to lose her. It didn't take very long for Sasuke to spot the girl with strange hair among the crowds, heading the opposite away from most of the villagers. She was heading towards the burning military building. No, past it. The Uchiha observed silently as she entered a warehouse near the edge of the village. So her plan now was to hide it seemed.

Another smirk settled on Sasuke's features as he started towards the building. She'd worked herself into a corner now. There was no way she could escape this time.

* * *

"Just hang in there a little bit longer!" Naruto shouted as he practically dragged the man towards a nearby exit. The blond let out a gasp when the ceiling started to rumble and caved in a few moments later. Just in time, the Namikaze's skin and outfit morphed into a fiery orange, a massive tail erupting from his body and shielding the pair from the debris as they continued to head towards the exit.

Naruto coughed and sputtered as they stumbled out the door. He helped the man to a sitting position once they were far from the building. A medical ninja immediately rushed over towards the pair to examine them.

"I'm okay," Naruto breathed. "He needs help more than I do," the blond told the medic while gesturing to the injured ninja.

The Jonin medical shinobi nodded hesitantly prior to turning his attention to the wounded male sitting on the ground.

Naruto began to head towards the building again. He had to see if there was anyone else inside. He knew there were shinobi working to put the flames out and others that were battling intruders on higher floors. The boy originally intended to search the village for Sakura, but could find no signs of his friend. After looking practically everywhere in the village for her, the Namikaze decided to put a pause on that quest to help out at the burning building, especially when he heard that rescue assistance was needed.

Naruto was just about to enter once more when someone placed a hand on his shoulder. He immediately turned and peered curiously at the ANBU member.

"I'll take it from here," the masked man said. "You've done enough. We appreciate your help."

"Wait, what are-?"

"Trust me, I'll handle the rest," the ANBU member interrupted, disappearing into the smoke-filled building a moment later.

Naruto only blinked at the open door for a minute before slowly backing away. Something about the ANBU member was strange, almost familiar in a weird way. The blond shrugged and studied his surroundings. Medics were tending to injured people all around him. Most of the worried villagers had already run away from the scene except for a few stragglers here and there. Other Chunin and Jonin were attempting to calm the citizens across the village. The Hokage however, was no where in sight. The Namikaze narrowed his eyes at the thought. Perhaps he was off somewhere else in the village, helping to cease the panic.

Naruto's thoughts were interrupted when he noticed another fire not too far away. This one wasn't very large and people were already working to put it out. _"How did the outside market catch on fire?"_ the boy wondered. Something else in the corner of his eye caught the Namikaze's attention.

Naruto's jaw dropped at the sight. It couldn't be... Heading towards a warehouse was Uchiha Sasuke himself. The blond hadn't seen him for nearly three years. What was he doing here now though, the place he deserted? A newfound sense of determination filled Naruto as he narrowed his eyes at Sasuke when he entered the warehouse.

He wouldn't be defeated this time.

* * *

Sasuke scanned his surroundings after the large metal door slammed shut behind him. Tall shelves packed with miscellaneous items stood on either side of him. The Uchiha listened carefully as he slowly stalked forward through the aisle, his footsteps the only sound that met his ears.

"Still hiding, hm?" he chided lowly. Sasuke had walked past the warehouse enough in his youth to know that there was only one entrance. Unless she could manage to sneak past him, there was no other way out. There was an abundance of items to hide behind or even inside in the warehouse, but he'd find her eventually. "You really think I won't find you?" he continued.

Sakura's heart dropped the moment she heard the boy enter. She stayed put in her hiding place even as he walked through the aisles. Her heart continued to pound in her chest when he spoke. Sakura further panicked when she realized he was correct. There was no where else for her to run. If she made any motion to move, he'd surely hear it echo off the walls. Whoever this boy was, he was far more trained than her. Sakura attempted to control her breathing as fear overtook her. She was trapped now. There was nothing else she could do.

It was in that moment she remembered a conversation she and Naruto shared.

 _"Naruto?"_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"What's it like, being a shinobi?"_

 _The blond blinked for a moment as he tried to string the right words together. "Well... most of the time it's awesome," he explained, a signature grin adorning his features. "I get to do things not everyone can do and I know things not everyone does. I like protecting the village." He paused and a short chuckle fell from his lips. "I think I just like helping people in general."_

 _Sakura hugged her knees tighter and rested her chin on top of them, a smile of her own forming. "I see... Do you ever get scared?" she asked, turning her head to face him._

 _"I'd be lying if I said I didn't," he responded, his grin slowly fading. "There's times I've been scared out of my mind on the battlefield... I've watched comrades die and been outnumbered before... Even though I was terrified, I knew I had to do something. I couldn't let their deaths be in vain. This war... it's caused so many senseless deaths. I've seen families torn apart and so many people suffering. That's why I still fight even though it may seem pointless sometimes." A look of determination settled on his features as he finished. "Even in the face of fear, you have to keep fighting!"_

Sakura's eyes widened when she remembered his last line. "Even in the face of fear, you have to keep fighting," she murmured to herself. The pink-haired girl clenched her fists and closed her eyes. She was absolutely terrified. There was no denying it. Yet, a fire was lit inside of her at Naruto's words. While she mainly wanted to stay put and continue hiding until the boy inevitably found her, there was a small part inside of Sakura that desired to stand up and fight, even if she were to end up losing.

Sakura took a deep breath before slowly standing up. She wasn't going to play the coward anymore...

Sasuke halted abruptly upon hearing footsteps in front of him. They were slow and loud. She wasn't even trying to be stealthy. The Uchiha raised an eyebrow in surprise when the pink-haired girl rounded the corner of the shelf to his left, turning and stopping about twenty feet away. He stared at the new expression of focus and determination on her face before letting a small smirk lift on his lips.

"You're still terrified," Sasuke stated, tilting his head to the side ever so slightly. He watched silently as she swallowed and shifted as if to attack. The Uchiha noticed her hesitance to advance and initiate their inevitable battle.

Sasuke knew he should just get it over with so he and his squad could leave the village unscathed, missions completed. He was far more experienced than this girl and he could easily overpower her. Yet he was curious to see how this played out, curious to know... "Show me your power," he muttered under his breath, fingering the hilt of his sword.

Sakura finally found the willpower to move again, rushing forward and wrenching her arm back to put some force behind her punch. The boy hadn't moved by the time she planted her foot into the ground and launched her fist towards him.

"Ugh!" Sakura grunted as she landed roughly on the floor. She immediately jumped up and turned around to show a look of bewilderment. Sakura hadn't even seen him move. Now the dark-haired male was staring at her with his arms crossed, wearing a bored expression.

Sakura shouted as she rushed forward once more, throwing a barrage of punches and kicks at the boy, who effortlessly blocked every single one of them. She let out a cry of pain when he caught her hand and twisted her arm into an uncomfortable position. She felt his leg slam into hers and sweep her feet out from under her. She found herself lying on the ground again an instant later.

Sakura groaned and held the back of her head, as she hit it none too gently when she landed on the floor this time.

"Is that it?" Sasuke asked with disappointment.

Sakura hissed when his words met her ears. She was growing more and more frustrated by the second. It wasn't going to end like this! She refused to let it! Sakura still had more fight left in her.

Sasuke was surprised to see the girl standing up again. His eyes widened when he noticed the small diamond on her forehead glowing lightly and purple lines begin to spread across her body. Sasuke was caught off guard when she threw another punch towards him, this one much faster than her other attacks. He grabbed her fist just in time, grunting at the stinging sensation starting in his palm. Then just like that, he was sent flying thanks to an immensely strong punch to the gut.

Sasuke gripped one of the warehouse's rafters and swung around to halt his flight. The Uchiha crouched and caught his breath before returning his attention to the girl below. He narrowed his onyx orbs while he studied her. She seemed so baffled by her own appearance and sudden increase in strength. That's when everything became clear to Sasuke.

"You don't know what you are..."

It wasn't a question. Sakura gasped when she tore her gaze away from the strange markings on her skin and looked all around for the boy. "W-What do you mean?" she stammered fearfully. When she twisted around, Sakura was met with a kick to the jaw. She crashed into the shelf next to her, knocking over a stack of wooden planks in the process. The dazed teen tossed the items off her and prepared to strike again.

She froze when she noticed something peculiar. The purple markings on her skin were receding. Sakura snapped out of her thoughts when the male reached towards her, grabbing her arm and jerking her away from the large shelves. He practically dragged her along as he walked somewhere unknown to her. Sakura wrenched her arm out of his grasp and motioned to attack. The boy almost immediately had her in his hold once more. Sakura willed whatever gave her monster strength to return as she struggled to free herself, yet nothing happened no matter how hard she tried.

Sasuke roughly shoved the pink-haired girl against the wall, harshly gripping her shoulder to hold her against it. A massive frown replaced the dumbfounded expression that had been on his face. "You truly have no clue," he bit out.

"What do you want from me?!" she growled. He was right about her having no clue what was happening though. Sakura was terribly confused.

"All the years people spent waiting for the last of their _saviors_ to show up and it's you," he hissed, "someone that has hardly any training and doesn't even know what they are?! _You're_ the third?!"

Sakura ceased her attempts to get free from his hold. She could only stare at the boy after he finished. He appeared to be dead serious... "N-No. You're wrong!" she shouted, her voice cracking. That couldn't possibly be true. Tsunade would've certainly told her if she knew. Wouldn't she? "Y-You're lying!"

Sasuke only blinked at the pink-haired girl. When Orochimaru explained that she'd only just awakened her powers, he hadn't expected for her to know absolutely nothing of them at all. Sasuke couldn't help but wonder why this was the case. He had known from an early age what he was, even before unlocking his powers. Why had her powers awakened so late compared to himself and...

Sakura stopped breathing when she heard it. The whispers, they were back. They were getting louder, closer. She raised her head and noticed that the boy had also frozen as well. _"He can hear them, too?"_ Sakura thought as he cocked his head to the side, lessening his grip on her a touch.

"You always have to be the hero don't you?" Sasuke spat over his shoulder.

"Naruto," Sakura whispered, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Let her go Sasuke!" Naruto shouted.

Sakura's eyes widened at the name. The person that'd been chasing her was Naruto's former teammate, the second? She peered at Sasuke's collar and sure enough, the mark her blond friend had described was resting on the junction between his neck and shoulder.

Sasuke returned his attention to the pink-haired girl and slowly released her from his hold. Even if she wanted to escape, the exit was still on the other side of the warehouse. He observed as she shrank to the ground while holding her shoulder and wearing a shocked expression.

"I'd tell you to stay out of my way but I know you wouldn't listen. You never do," Sasuke said as he turned to face the blond, his eyes taking on a shade of red.

"Not my fault you've made some stupid decisions," Naruto responded. He blinked and his blue orbs morphed into yellow with his pupils changing into plus signs. "I'm not gonna lose this time," he said, shaking his head. "You're not leaving this village."

"Why are you so obsessed with me?!" Sasuke yelled, preparing to unsheathe his sword.

"Because I'm your only friend idiot," Naruto chuckled.

Just as Sasuke was about to lunge forward, an explosion rocked the warehouse and a hole appeared in the ceiling. Before the Uchiha could think, he was surrounded by Leaf village shinobi, ANBU and Jonin alike.

"Put your hands up!" one of the captains ordered him. "If you make any other movements then we will kill you!"

Sasuke sighed when he looked down towards the swords at his throat. Then, he cautiously raised his hands above his head. He had no chance to take on all of these ninjas at once and escape with the girl.

Naruto peered over his shoulder when he heard footsteps approaching. Two ANBU captains walked to stand beside him, a man and a woman. He raised an eyebrow as the pair thanked him for his hard work and then strolled past him. The Namikaze listened in on their conversation while they stalked towards the Uchiha who was now being cuffed.

"I didn't expect to be finished with the efforts to rescue the injured in the fire and also have all the other attackers subdued so soon," the man explained. "That is, until _he_ showed up. He had all the enemies captured and the rest of the people trapped in the building out within minutes."

"Incredible," the woman responded with a snort. "He's Hokage-sama's special guy for a reason I suppose."

 _"They must be talking about that weird ANBU member,"_ Naruto thought. He remained silent while Sasuke was restrained and led towards the exit. The blond inwardly released a sigh of relief at the sight. Although he was detained, Sasuke was still one of the three so he'd have to be let go eventually. If the Uchiha wanted to be free, he'd have to cooperate with the village which meant helping with the war effort. Now he just had to find the third.

A wave of urgency rushed over him as he remembered what occured prior to the Leaf village shinobi showing up. "Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted worriedly as he whipped around to look at the spot he'd last seen her. The girl was gone, leaving no indication that she'd been there in the first place.

Sasuke lowered his head as he was led out of the warehouse and the Leaf shinobi marched him through the streets of Konoha towards the prison, a smirk present on his features.

* * *

"He's been placed under the highest level of security in the prison," the ANBU captain explained. "Hokage-sama, do you want him transferred to the-?"

"No," the Hokage interrupted. "I want him in the interrogation room at the prison. Use any methods necessary to get the information out of him. Do not stop until he reveals everything he knows."

"Sure thing Hokage-sama," the man replied. "Is there anything else you desire me to do?"

Daiki pondered a minute before speaking. "What of the others that have been captured?"

"All under heavy surveillance," he replied.

"Very well," the Hokage said with a nod. "You're dismissed."

The ANBU captain vanished after bowing, leaving behind a puff of smoke.

The masked Hokage turned to the other ANBU member present in the room. "Do you have any problems with my orders Itachi?" he questioned sarcastically after noticing the slight tension in the man's shoulders.

"None at all Hokage-sama," the Uchiha responded evenly, forcing himself to relax. "As long as you abide by our terms and keep my brother alive, I won't object."

The Hokage stared at the still male before nodding slowly. "I see... I know you don't agree with my methods Itachi, but you are a smart man." He paused and stood up from his desk, walking towards a window. "Do you understand why we've done what we have?" he asked, referring to himself, his wife, and another despicable man...

"Perhaps you could allow me to have some insight," Itachi replied dryly. He'd been told many times the reasoning behind the Hokage's actions, yet it never changed his mind.

The male chuckled lowly as he stared out into the village. "I'll admit I'm a cruel person for sentencing an innocent baby to death," he said. "But we had no other choice. If there was any chance even one of the three could swap sides or turn out to be a traitor, then something had to be done. It was for the best interests of the village. It just ended up having to be her..." the man continued, a touch of sorrow in his voice.

Itachi made no motion to speak.

"I want the best for this village, as do you Itachi," the Hokage said. "You must understand..."

"Ah, Hokage-sama," Itachi said shortly. He wanted nothing more than to strangle the man or slit his throat right then and there. He desired to spill the truth to the village, to tell them who this man really was. Liar, murderer, traitor... They were all words he'd use to describe Kobayashi Daiki. Yet, they were also words the Uchiha would use to describe himself.

Itachi swallowed and clenched his jaw. It made sense really, one monster making a deal with another monster...

* * *

Sasuke opened his eyes when another masked ANBU member entered the interrogation room. He'd been escorted to the medium-sized, dimly lit space quite some time ago. After the pair of guards strapped his hand restraints to the table, they'd traveled to the back of the room and hadn't moved since. The Uchiha eventually fell asleep and remained that way until now.

The masked man sat down in front of him and opened a file he'd been carrying. "Your name is Uchiha Sasuke, correct?"

Sasuke said nothing.

Smack!

The slap's sound echoed throughout the room. The dark-haired male let a tiny smirk lift on his lips as he slowly turned his head to face the interrogator once more.

"There will be no fooling around here," the ANBU captain said, relaxing in his chair once more. "Now, is your name Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Yes," Sasuke growled lowly, still feeling the stinging sensation radiating from his cheek. He answered a series of simple questions without complications. The minutes seemed to drag by as he said "yes" or "no" repeatedly.

"How did you and your squad infiltrate the village?" the interrogator asked.

"Wasn't very hard. We practically just walked right in," the Uchiha answered. He grunted as one of the guards behind him grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked his head back.

"I won't tolerate any of your arrogance either," the interrogator announced calmly, signaling for the guard to release him.

Sasuke hissed as he lowered his head, feeling a wave of pain reverberate through his skull. He flexed his hands, wishing he could yank them out of the restraints. The Uchiha inwardly cursed when he felt the warmth leave the mark in his neck. The chakra suppressing restraints were making this quite a bit harder. Nothing to panic about though.

He only needed some more time...

* * *

"Sakura-chan!"

"Naruto!"

The pair ran towards each other and embraced in a tight hug.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked when they broke apart. He immediately started looking her up and down for injuries.

"I'm fine," she reassured him quickly. "You look more hurt than me," she added as she took in his dirty appearance.

"Oh, I was helping out at the military building. It's nothing serious, really!" he said as he peered down at his filthy clothes.

Sakura nodded and grinned at the boy. "Thank you, for trying to find me and helping save me. It means a lot to me..."

"Anything for a friend," Naruto said, a smile of his own forming.

She nodded once more and her grin began to fade. "Listen, I have to go now."

"You're leaving already?"

"I have to get something sorted out," she explained with a frown. "I need to tell you something," Sakura said, referring to the revelation that she was supposedly the person he'd been searching for. "But I have to know for sure first. Meet back here tomorrow?"

Naruto was obviously disappointed that she had to leave so soon.

"I promise I'll be here," she said, reaching for the blond's hand.

Naruto appeared to be apprehensive at first. After some time he grasped her hand in his and the corners of his lips lifted upwards to form a smile. "Okay, but you better be here on time!"

"I promise," she repeated.

* * *

"Sakura!" Shizune shouted as the pink-haired girl entered.

"Thank goodness you're okay," Tsunade said after breathing a sigh of relief. She started to move forward and reach out to hug Sakura, only to stop because she noticed the livid expression on her face.

"Why?" Sakura whispered angrily. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

A troubled frown came to rest on Tsunade's features while she stared at the girl. It didn't take her long to figure out what she was talking about.

"Sakura," Shizune began, "please hear us out."

"So you both knew?!" the teen shouted in fury, clenching her fists. "How could you not tell me that I'm part of some prophecy?!"

"Sakura, it was for your own safety," Tsunade explained. "We assumed what happened when we heard that people infiltrated the village and you didn't return. We looked everywhere for you."

"Is that why you've forced me to stay here all my life?! To keep me safe?! Why couldn't you have told me so that we could train and prepare?!" she yelled, taking a step forward. "The people in this village have been waiting for years for the three to emerge! Do you not want the war to end?!"

"There's way more to it than that Sakura," Tsunade said quietly.

"Forget it!" Sakura screamed, waving a hand to dismiss the woman. "You're both liars!" With this, the girl turned and entered her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Shizune swallowed after moments of awkward silence dragged on. "I know you don't want her to worry, but I think it's time we tell her," she told Tsunade hesitantly. "She isn't a little girl anymore..."

"Perhaps you're right," was all Tsunade said before entering her own room.

* * *

Sasuke coughed and spluttered as he was finally allowed to breathe again. The pair of guards had forced his head under the water and kept him there until his interrogator deemed the punishment enough. He couldn't stop a shiver from trailing down his spine as droplets of cold water dropped down his bare torso, now covered in bruises and cuts.

The Uchiha had been subjected to countless hours of torture, refusing to give away mission details or information on the Sound. He wasn't weak and Orochimaru wouldn't have any of it when he returned.

"You still won't answer?" the interrogator asked, drumming his fingers against the desk in frustration. He hadn't left the room once due to the Uchiha's stubbornness and also because of the Hokage's orders to stay until obtaining all the information he desired. They'd been at it for nearly the entire day now and there seemed to be no end in sight.

Sasuke lowered his head as he continued to pant, gritting his teeth in anger. He could feel it growing hotter now. He only needed a few more minutes.

"Okay then," the interrogator started, "we'll move onto something else for now." He paused as Sasuke slowly lifted his head. "We've gathered that your comrades' mission was to steal our battle plans and strategies. You've claimed that it was your mission as well, but you weren't at the military building with your comrades when they were captured. What was _your_ mission?"

Sasuke snorted in amusement at the man. Did he really believe that he'd give any information away now after hours of refusing to? He grunted in pain as one of the guards grabbed a handful of his hair and forcefully slammed his head into the table.

The interrogator raised a hand, signaling for the pair to stop their assault. "Hold off for a bit unless I say otherwise," he ordered.

Sasuke let out a low growl when the two released him and he sat up again, a trickle of blood dribbling from his nose.

The man looked down at his notes and stilled for a moment, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by the Uchiha. "It's known you're one of the three mentioned in the prophecy. The third has also emerged recently. I don't believe it's a coincidence that you, under orders from Orochimaru and an enemy of the Leaf, would return to this village just after. Was your mission to capture the third?"

Sasuke only glared at the man. He started to flex his hands in the restraints again, itching to be free. _"Channel it,"_ he said silently, remembering Orochimaru's teachings. The burning sensation in his neck intensified.

The masked interrogator sighed and cracked his knuckles. "Where did you locate her?"

"Ah, so you village higher ups don't even know how to find the third then? Shows just how pitiful Konoha is," Sasuke scoffed. He snorted as he locked gazes with the masked interrogator. "Do you really think I'll give you any information at this point?"

The interrogator gripped the edge of the table so hard that his knuckles turned white. He attempted in vain to hide his frustration. The male decided it was time for a more intense form of punishment. The Hokage gave him orders to do whatever was necessary to obtain the information and he was fed up with the Uchiha's arrogance. He leaned across the table and punched the teen's cheek, his head snapping to the side from the force. "If you refuse to answer again, then I won't hold back any longer."

What happened next shocked the guards enough to make them freeze in place, shooting worried glances towards each other. Sasuke rotated his head to look at the interrogator again and spat in his face, right into one of his eyes. The Uchiha smirked slightly while the man jerked back at the action.

The interrogator finally snapped, launching himself over the table and towards the dark-haired teen, knocking over the tank of water in the process. He began a brutal assault on the restrained Uchiha as the guards watched on silently. "Get him up!" the masked man yelled eventually when he stepped away from the battered boy, who was hunched over and struggling to breathe. "Now!" he shouted when the men hesitated.

Sasuke desperately attempted to regain control of his breathing when the guards released him and roughly pulled him out of the chair, forcing him to stand. One of the guards roughly tugged his head back while they each held his arms.

"Give me answers or you'll suffer worse than ever before," the interrogator ordered after performing a series of hand signs, lifting his right hand up afterwards to show a palm full of white hot fire.

Sasuke offered no response as the man drew closer and reached out with his hand filled with flames. He was too weak to rip himself out of the guards' holds. A scream of agony left his lips when he felt his skin burning and tearing apart. He tried to pry himself away once more. It was no use. He was too weak...

He was just too weak...

 _"I know you can do better than this Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru stated as he watched on._

 _Sasuke gritted his teeth in pain when he attempted to break free of the unnamed man's hold, only to have the male put him in an even more uncomfortable position, jamming his knee into Sasuke's spine and nearly jerking his arm out of its socket._

 _"Channel it," Orochimaru advised him, "your frustration and your anger. Use it to your advantage."_

 _Sasuke tried to follow Orochimaru's words and focus on his fury. Nothing happened though. He laid his forehead on the ground and hissed as the pain became almost unbearable._

 _Orochimaru hummed for a moment before the smallest of smiles tugged the corners of his lips upwards. "Perhaps I made the wrong choice. Maybe I should have bargained with the Namikaze and made him my apprentice instead... He doesn't seem weak..."_

 _Sasuke opened his eyes and growled, the mark on his neck beginning to take on a fiery red color. He despised that word, especially when someone implied that he was weak. He wasn't... Sasuke refused to be..._

 _"Foolish little brother..."_

 _The raven-haired male vividly remembered the words his elder brother uttered that night. He truly was weak then, but not now. Nothing like that would ever happen again. Sasuke wouldn't let it. He would never be weak again._

 _It was then that a rush of power surged through him, lighting a fire inside Sasuke. His opponent flinched in surprise when he turned and glared maliciously with a pair of red eyes, now darkening to appear as if they were black._

 _Orochimaru chuckled quietly as he observed the sights that occurred afterwards. They'd be considered horrific by anyone else, but it pleased him greatly. He couldn't resist another grin as he watched the boy get lost in his rage._

The interrogator retracted his hand when Sasuke fell silent, his head slumped over and the guards being the only thing that held him up. All was silent for a minute before the man pushed at Sasuke's head to make sure he was unconscious. "Perhaps I went a bit too far," the masked male muttered. He gasped in surprise when an eerie chuckle left the Uchiha's lips and he slowly lifted his head to reveal a pair of crimson orbs.

"How foolish of you," Sasuke said, tilting his head to the side, "to think you could actually overpower someone like me..."

"H-How? The confinements should've kept your chakra restrained enough so that you couldn't recover even after being removed from them for a short amount of time. No other prisoner has ever recovered so quickly..."

"I'm not a regular prisoner," Sasuke said, a devilish smirk adorning his features. He stared at the now terrified man as he backed away. The Uchiha felt the guards tense up when black markings started to spread across his body. His smirk grew larger when he caught sight of the interrogator freezing up. "I can see it in your eyes... You fear my power..."

"Put the restraints back on him!" the man called.

Bang!

The room was reduced to rubble in a matter of seconds. Sasuke narrowed his eyes as alarms started sounding seconds after. He would show them... He'd make his power known...

One after one he defeated anyone that got in his way inside the prison, grinning with delight as the shinobi of Konoha screamed in agony. He walked past motionless bodies and people writhing in pain while he made his way to the prison's high security cells, stopping all that attempted to hinder him.

After putting an end to all the guards in his path and reaching the high security block, the Uchiha broke all of his comrades out of their cells. He panted harshly as he leaned back against the undamaged wall behind him and felt the power dissipate. He still had difficulty controlling the power and he couldn't afford to lose himself in it. Sasuke's facial features contorted into a mixed expression of pain and exhaustion. He began to feel the effects of the torture he'd received earlier.

"Uchiha-sama, are you okay?" one of the squad members asked, reaching out to help Sasuke.

Sasuke immediately slapped the male's hand away and pushed himself off the wall, stifling the expression of pain that'd been occupying his features. "I'm fine. You focus on completing your mission while I finish mine. If you can't complete yours then buy me some time," he ordered gruffly.

The squad members exchanged glances as they turned and prepared to retrieve their confiscated gear.

"Wait!" Sasuke called as the group began to move. "You," he said, pointing at the spy who'd found the third, "You saw where the girl went after reentering the village the night she emerged. Take me there. The rest of you, go."

The spy swallowed nervously before nodding and leading the Uchiha in the opposite direction of the squad.

Sasuke did his best to stifle the grunts of pain that attempted to leave his lips as he followed the spy. He refused to seem weak to anyone.

 _"I... I couldn't control myself," Sasuke panted while he collapsed to his knees, watching his severely injured opponent being hauled away by medics. The Uchiha maneuvered into a sitting position and held onto his throbbing arm, staring aimlessly at the ground. He'd only used the power once before, against Naruto, and it wasn't even intentional. Yet, he had more control over it that time than this instance..._

 _"Don't worry about it too much Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru reassured as he walked to stand behind the Uchiha. "You'll gain more control with time. You only need to learn to embrace it more."_

 _"Embrace it?" Sasuke questioned, still shaken up by his own actions._

 _"Yes, you have to embrace it... Embrace your frustration and your rage... your hatred..." Orochimaru explained._

 _Sasuke only blinked at the ground, making no effort to respond._

 _"I know what you're thinking Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru stated, taking another step forward. "You're conflicted because you were taught to do the opposite in Konoha." He paused and chuckled lightly, earning barely any reaction from the Uchiha. "Don't forget why you accepted my offer Sasuke-kun. I know more about your powers than any of them ever will," he continued, his voice lowering. "I've learned even more after studying you and experimenting with the meteor fragments. Would you like to find out what I know?"_

 _Sasuke tilted his head ever so slightly to the side as a sign of interest._

 _"All three of you have inherited specific powers as you know, but there's more to it than that. I know what exactly these powers trace back to, what they originate from. I know hardly anything of the third at the moment since this person has yet to emerge, but I know all about you and the Namikaze. I know what you both are..."_

 _Sasuke fully turned to face the snakelike man, narrowing his eyes and setting his lips into a straight line._

 _"I assume you've heard the legend of the Kyuubi," Orochimaru started. He waited for Sasuke to give a small nod before continuing. "The nine-tailed fox with power great enough to destroy the shinobi world as we know it. That is the power that Namikaze Naruto possesses. Naruto is the Fox."_

 _Sasuke clenched his fists tightly against his thighs, turning around and staring at the ground. In truth, he was afraid of what the answer to his next question might be. "What am I?" he nearly whispered._

 _"It took me a little longer to figure out than the first," Orochimaru explained, "but now I'm sure. You showed your rage and bloodlust during the battle, along with such hatred, among other things... My suspicions were proven to be true just then."_

 _"What am I?!" Sasuke repeated loudly, struggling to hold his voice intact. He could practically visualize the devilish grin on Orochimaru's features as he leaned down and whispered the words._

 _"The Demon."_

It seemed like his life was destined to be what it was now. It was as if he was destined to be what he was now... A cold-hearted demon.

The image of bloody, lifeless bodies filled Sasuke's mind. He remembered it all so clearly... He could picture his clan members' corpses, his parents' bodies... He vividly saw Itachi with his swirling red eyes.

Sasuke would never allow something like that to happen again. He wouldn't be the weak child he was back then. He would avenge the Uchiha clan and kill his elder brother, no matter what. That, he was sure of. If he had to be the Demon to do it, then so be it...

* * *

Sakura stretched after waking up from her nap, yawning quietly. She eventually laid back down and heard something crumple under her weight. She shifted and grabbed the item, pulling it out from under her. Sakura's eyes softened as she unfolded the crumpled piece of paper and remembered what it was for.

She couldn't help but feel guilty when she emerged from her room in the morning and found a box of her favorite chocolates along with a note on top. Tsunade apologized in the note and promised to tell her the truth when she returned from the hospital. Sakura decided to write a note of her own, as she would probably be with Naruto when the pair came home. The pink-haired girl flicked her gaze to Tsunade's door where she taped the note. She then sighed before folding Tsunade's note up again and shoving it into her pocket.

Sakura looked down and picked up the half-eaten box of chocolates, setting it in her lap a moment later. She hadn't gotten sweets in forever. They were costly, especially in times of war, and Tsunade never had time to go and get any. She must've gone out of her way to get the chocolates with a busy schedule. Sakura clutched the box to her chest and frowned, feeling even more guilty.

Slam!

The girl jumped when she heard the front door creak open and slam shut above her. Sakura narrowed her eyes in confusion. Neither Tsunade nor Shizune should be home right now.

Sakura swallowed nervously at the realization. Even if either of the women came home early they would always give her a signal. She waited for it but it never came. A stranger was in the house. Sakura heard the person's footsteps travel to a part in the house that was further away from her. She set the box of chocolates down next to her and stood up, quietly stepping towards the back entrance. The teen bit down on her bottom lip when she heard the footsteps stalking towards her once more. If she were to open the back entrance now, the intruder would certainly hear it.

Sakura held her breath as the footsteps stopped just above the entrance in the house. There was no way anyone besides Shizune or Tsunade would know. Her heart thundered in her chest as the dreadful moments of silence dragged on. She slapped a hand over her mouth after letting out a nervous, harsh breath. They couldn't know... They couldn't have heard her...

Bang!

The door was broken into millions of pieces by the explosion. Sakura blinked rapidly and pushed herself off the ground as the dust cleared. Her eyes widened in shock as she caught sight of the intruder. Standing across from her was a livid Uchiha Sasuke.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So this concludes chapter three! I'll hopefully be able to get the next chapter out sooner than this one but school is starting next week so it'll be a challenge. Anyways, thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Please review and tell me what you think! Thanks for the support!


	4. Third

**Author's Note:** My apologies for not updating for a few months. Real life sucks and I was a bit burnt out on writing at the time if I'm being honest. I'm trying a new approach this time around in terms of how I update. I think I was becoming more focused on how much I was updating rather than making sure the chapters are enjoyable to me and my readers. Writing for this story again made me realize how much I missed it and writing in general though. I enjoyed writing this chapter but holy crap I didn't think it would turn out to be this long! 11,000 words is a lot for me to put into one chapter. I usually try to stick to around 5-8 thousand if I can but I don't want to split this chapter in half. Hopefully the really long chapter makes up for me not updating haha. Anyways, thank you so much for the support! Please enjoy!

* * *

"No way," Shizune breathed in utter disbelief as she stared out the window in the office. She was at a total loss of words for the ongoing scene outside.

"What in the world is happening now?!" Tsunade growled as she rushed into the office, returning from a patient's room. She finished the wounded shinobi's treatment just as the explosion sounded and rocked the building. Tsunade was immediately out the door, pushing past other confused and alert doctors in order to get back to her own office. Her expression darkened when she caught sight of the look of shock on Shizune's face.

"The prison," Shizune voiced, turning back to view the large cloud of smoke emerging from the structure. She moved aside when she heard the clicking of Tsunade's heels come closer.

The alarms started ringing in her head the moment she laid eyes on the prison. It was almost unfathomable to imagine someone breaking out of Konoha's high security prison...

"We need to go right now," Tsunade whispered gravely, flashing a look of urgency to her assistant.

Shizune's eyes widened at the realization. "You don't think it's the Sound shinobi that were captured do you?"

"That's exactly what I think," Tsunade replied as she pivoted on her heel and ran out of the room, Shizune right on her heels. "We don't know what that boy is capable of now," she said while looking over her shoulder. Word had circulated throughout the village that Uchiha Sasuke was among the captured Sound shinobi. Tsunade had heard stories of the power Sasuke possessed while he still resided in the village, as well as seeing him in action a few times. Over three years had passed and if the boy was that powerful back then, there was no telling how strong he was now.

The two didn't slow down until they reached the house, where they discovered that they were too late. Tsunade muttered a string of curses as she entered the house, the front door already wide open. She abruptly halted upon seeing the large hole in the floor, panic engulfing her at the sight. "No... no no no no no..."

Tsunade and Shizune dropped into the hole which used to be the inside entrance.

"Sakura!" Shizune called, receiving no answer.

"There was a fight," Tsunade announced, scanning the room. She stepped over the rubble and towards the back entrance, which she discovered also had a new hole in it. She then climbed out of the hole and into the open air.

"Look," Shizune said after following her outside. Tsunade followed the woman's finger and noticed the damage to the surrounding houses.

"Maybe she got away?" Shizune suggested, attempting to sound hopeful.

Tsunade made no effort to respond, frantically looking around for any sign of Sakura. That's when she spotted it. Near the Hokage monument was a speck of pink, steadily ascending the rocky structure. Tsunade squinted and found that it was indeed Sakura, but she was motionless. Someone was scaling the monument, carrying the unconscious girl with them.

"Stay here," Tsunade ordered as she sped off.

"Wait! Where are you-?!" Shizune shouted after her. She swallowed as she watched her boss disappear, heading somewhere unknown to her.

Tsunade traveled faster than she'd ever gone before, not allowing herself to slow down and catch her breath even once. All this time she tried her absolute hardest to conceal Sakura from the outside world, to keep her safe, yet she still failed. Now Sakura was going to be taken away and put through who knows what kind of torture by Orochimaru.

Orochimaru... Tsunade knew all about that freakish traitor. His barbaric experiments before betraying Konoha were all well-documented and everyone in the village was aware of his cruel methods. Tsunade couldn't imagine what he would do to Sakura if he got his hands on her. She pushed herself even harder after climbing the Hokage monument, trying to catch up to Sakura and her captor. She couldn't let her be taken... She couldn't...

"Hurry up!" someone commanded impatiently.

Tsunade emerged from the dense brush and prepared to attack. A gasp left her lips as she skidded to a halt and reluctantly watched as the dark-haired boy jerked Sakura's body up from the ground and pressed a kunai knife to her throat. As Tsunade shifted her attention to the boy, a vivid image of a child's tear-stained face popped into her head. How he'd changed since then...

Sasuke used his free hand to signal his squad members to hold their positions. "You move any closer and she's dead," he warned icily.

"You won't dare," Tsunade hissed through gritted teeth.

"Orochimaru is the one who wants something from her, not me. I could always tell him an accident occurred," Sasuke bit back, a smirk appearing on his lips. He frowned as he took a closer look at the blonde woman. "Ah, I thought I recognized you. I wouldn't expect you of all people to be so foolish... Hiding what she is from her and not training her? Do you truly think that was a good idea?"

"You don't know anything," Tsunade growled, shaking her head. "How far you've fallen..."

"Fallen?" Sasuke scoffed. "Tell me then, who has the advantage in this situation? You'll never be near as powerful as I am."

Tsunade was about to retort, until she noticed Sakura's head lift ever so slightly. The woman swallowed harshly upon seeing the blood covering the other side of her face, the cause being a large gash on her head. "Sakura!" she called, forcing herself to remain anchored to the spot.

Sakura, who had seemingly regained consciousness, peered towards Tsunade with a sorrowful expression. She lifted her hands and weakly tried to loosen Sasuke's hold on her but her efforts proved to be futile. "I'm sorry," she voiced weakly.

Tsunade balled her fists in frustration. There was nothing else she could do. "I will find you, I promise," she declared. "Promise me you won't give up, no matter what!" Her throat felt as if it was tightening while she observed the tears in Sakura's eyes when she answered with a nod.

"Uchiha-sama?"

"Ah," Sasuke acknowledged, keeping his eyes on Tsunade while twisting his head to the side.

"We're ready."

"Good, let's go then," he replied evenly, walking backwards towards the rest of the group with the kunai still pressed against Sakura's neck.

Tsunade felt her stomach churn while she stared at Sakura's vanishing figure. Then just like that, there was nothing. She was gone. The village's top medic collapsed to her knees, struggling to breathe all of a sudden. She couldn't bear to think of the immense suffering Sakura might have to go through now at the hands of Orochimaru.

Perhaps Sasuke was correct. Maybe she was a complete fool for hiding everything from Sakura...

* * *

Itachi observed as the Hokage read over the damage reports, remaining stationary and silent by the man's desk. By now the entire village was aware of the prison break and the escape of the Sound shinobi. Dozens of Leaf shinobi made an effort to quell the panic of the frightened villagers, urging them to stay indoors until the situation was under control. They didn't need everyone running in every which direction screaming like they did when Sound first attacked.

Konoha couldn't seem to catch a break lately.

All heads turned as someone knocked on the door.

"You may enter," the Hokage said absentmindedly.

The guards relaxed upon seeing the newcomer, bowing respectfully to the higher level ninja.

"Danzo-san," the Hokage greeted, his voice filled with surprise. "What brings you here?"

"I think you know the answer to that question already," the old man responded sternly, the sound of his cane hitting the floor as he drew closer making the Hokage grow anxious. The heavily bandaged man stopped just in front of the cluttered desk, cocking his head to the side with the smallest of grins coming to play on his features. "Itachi-san," he greeted.

"Danzo-sama," the Uchiha returned, issuing a small bow. How he despised that name...

Danzo returned his attention to the Hokage, his expression becoming serious once more. "How severe is the damage?"

"It's bad," Daiki answered lowly.

Danzo released a sigh of frustration, placing both hands on top of his cane. "On top of the damage to our infrastructure, it seems the Sound ninjas completed their main mission."

"You mean?"

"Yes, they now have possession of the third..."

The Hokage remained silent, trying to comprehend what this meant for Konoha, for Oto, and even the shinobi world as a whole.

"I trust you've prepared a miracle of a speech, because that's what we'll need in order to calm the villagers down," Danzo said, looking none too pleased.

"I've come up with something. Hopefully it does some good."

"Hm... hopefully," Danzo replied, sounding unimpressed. "No mention of the girl is to be made. Speaking of which," he continued, sliding a hand into his robe and pulling a small slip of paper out, "there's a high possibility she was residing in one of the damaged houses. The question is, which one? That leads to my second purpose in coming here. Itachi."

"Yes?" the Uchiha questioned, his voice void of any emotion.

"I'm putting you on the case, effective immediately. If by any chance the girl was living in one of the houses, we can find out who has been hiding her all this time. I trust you'll get the job done as soon as possible."

Itachi took the paper from Danzo and bowed before vanishing, presumably to begin investigating.

"What?" Daiki asked as Danzo began to chuckle with amusement.

"You've always been so bitter towards him," the old man snickered, "even now when you've obtained your wish and he's in a position lower than you."

"Ha, what of it?" the Hokage growled, obviously bothered by Danzo's taunting.

"You're terrible at concealing your jealousy of him. He's far more powerful than you will ever be, and you shouldn't take that so personally. You're a good ninja, one of the best, but him? He's special..."

Daiki said nothing to this, only releasing a quiet huff. He heard the sound of the elder male's cane padding on the floor and looked up to see Danzo heading towards the door. Just before the heavily bandaged man reached the exit, he stopped and turned.

"Do you still feel regret over it?" Danzo asked curiously.

"How can I not?" the Hokage returned, traces of guilt and sorrow filling his voice. Danzo didn't need to elaborate in order for him to understand what he was referring to.

"Ah," Danzo hummed, "Remember what I've told you... It was for the best then, and it is for the best now." With this the old man exited, leaving the Hokage and his guards alone.

* * *

Naruto anxiously bounced up and down on the balls of his feet. He and practically the entirety of Konoha were crowded in front of the Hokage's tower, waiting for him to address the Sound ninjas' breakout. Naruto didn't care much for what the Hokage would say about the breakout itself, but what transpired after.

Sasuke would not have left the village without completing his mission, or at least trying to, and it was obvious to Naruto what that mission was. Needless to say, Sakura had not met him the night before at their usual spot. She wouldn't have forgotten her promise or purposely broken it. After waiting nervously for a few hours, Naruto was sure his biggest fears concerning the matter were true. Sasuke had to have gotten to her...

"What are you so worried about? Everything is under control now," someone said while grabbing his shoulder.

"Oh, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said after cocking his head to the side. The blond had separated himself from his parents and friends in the massive crowd because he knew they would only ask him the exact same thing. He really didn't feel like talking to anyone at the moment, not until he heard about Sakura's condition. Surely the Hokage could offer some sort of news regarding her whereabouts since she was Sasuke's target.

"I was one of the Jonin that was tasked with keeping the civilians under control after the breakout," the masked man continued. "The Sound shinobi tried to get in the archive building again but they were fought off this time. They retreated shortly after. I guess the ANBU or whoever was holding them off decided to let them go as long as they didn't obtain any information."

"And Sasuke?" Naruto questioned, a frown forming on his features.

"He was with them as far as I know," Kakashi answered, looking off to the side. He'd been shocked to learn that his former student was among the Sound shinobi that infiltrated the village. He was even more surprised when he saw the immense damage to the prison up close. He was almost certain that Sasuke was the main cause of it. Kakashi couldn't help but wonder how much he'd changed in three years, how powerful he truly was now. His thoughts were interrupted when the Hokage finally emerged, asking for the crowd to quiet down.

Naruto immediately fell silent when he saw the Hokage with his wife close behind, clothed head-to-toe in their usual attire. Ever since Naruto had taken notice that they always wore the same things, it had begun to irritate him.

"I'm sure you're all very frightened and concerned after recent events," the Hokage started after everyone had fallen silent. He cleared his throat when he saw some villagers nod in agreement. "I've come to inform you that there is no longer any threat to this great village. The brave shinobi of Konoha fought valiantly to ensure that the intruders obtained no information from our archives. Oto gained absolutely nothing from their attack. I'd like to take a moment to thank our shinobi for their efforts. Without you, this village would not be as safe as it is," he said, pausing to view the reaction from the villagers.

To his dismay, many of the citizens still appeared to be quite anxious. He realized he needed to say something more uplifting to convince the villagers that everything was okay. They couldn't afford to have everyone panicking during times of war. It was bad enough that Oto now had the second and third in their hold...

"I will admit, we were becoming too content lately with our security in the heart of the Land of Fire. With the war raging on at the border, we were becoming too relaxed here. I believe that is the reason a small group of our enemies was able to infiltrate this amazing village and escape. I assure you, fantastic citizens of Konoha, that this will never happen again. I will make sure that our security is much tighter after this incident and I know that our shinobi will do a fine job as well. I only require one thing from you, great villagers of Konoha. I need your support. You see, without you, I and the shinobi have nothing to protect, nothing to fight for. Without you and your support, we are nothing. What do you say?" he asked, opening his arms and speaking louder. "Will you offer your support?"

The crowd of villagers whooped and hollered in agreement.

"Then together, we will put an end to this war! Together we will be victorious!" he shouted, breathing a sigh of relief as thunderous cheering came from the crowd below. "Thank you all!" he finished, waving to the masses before turning and exiting with his wife.

It seemed everyone was pretty satisfied, even hyped up, by the Hokage's speech. Most people were still cheering and clapping when the village leader was gone, Kakashi and Naruto being in the minority that weren't. Kakashi rolled his eyes at all of the people surrounding him that were celebrating as if they had already won the war. He agreed with many things the Hokage mentioned, but he wasn't a fan of sappy little speeches like that.

Naruto was utterly confused by the Hokage's speech. There was no mention of Sakura, not even one of Sasuke. Something just seemed so off about it all. There had to be more to the story than he let slip. "Hokage-sama!" he shouted as he began to push and shove past the villagers in front of him. He had to ask the man about his pink-haired friend. He had to know something. "Hokage-sama!" Naruto shouted louder, ignoring people's complaints as he continued to push through the crowd.

Naruto halted abruptly when a hand latched onto his shoulder and roughly yanked him backwards.

"Do not say anything about her here or I'll make sure you'll never be able to speak again!" the woman whispered ominously into his ear.

Naruto turned to see who had warned him, his eyes widening in surprise when they landed on Tsunade, the village's top medic. "Baa-chan?" he questioned with bewilderment. Tsunade was the last person he expected to see when he turned around. He was no stranger to the woman, as she often treated him and his friends after obtaining injuries on missions. She was also Jiraiya's old teammate, so she showed up every once in a while when they were training together or eating a meal.

"Come with me," the woman urged as she let go of his shoulder, motioning for him to follow. When she returned to the damaged house after Sakura was taken, she'd spotted a piece of paper amidst the rubble of the underground room, a note. It was written by Sakura as an apology and there was a mention of the boy she'd met. Tsunade was surprised that of all people her friend just so happened to be Namikaze Naruto.

Naruto only blinked for a moment, still perplexed by the situation, before accepting Tsunade's request. If she knew something about Sakura's whereabouts then he had to find out.

Little did the pair know that they'd also caught the attention of a certain silver-haired Jonin. Kakashi raised an eyebrow while he observed the two exit from the back of the crowd. They appeared to be in a hurry it seemed. He'd noticed Naruto's unusual mannerisms earlier and presumed something was bothering him. Now his student was being dragged away by Tsunade of all people. She also appeared to be quite tense. Intrigue got the best of the Jonin and he began to move.

* * *

"Wait until we get into my office before you say a word!" Tsunade hissed at Naruto as they took massive strides through the hallway in the hospital. They passed very few people on the way to their destination, as most of the usual hospital workers were still where the Hokage delivered his speech. Of course there were some doctors stationed here and there throughout the building for any emergencies that might occur with the patients, but the floor they were on seemed to be vacant at the moment.

Tsunade retrieved the key to the office door from her pocket and hurriedly pushed it into the lock. People would be returning to work soon and she didn't want to run the risk of anyone overhearing them. Tsunade wasted no time when the click of the lock sounded in her ears. She flung the door open and stepped inside, Naruto right behind her, only to gasp at the sight in front of her.

"Kakashi-sensei?!" Naruto questioned in total bewilderment.

"I knew exactly where you two were heading once I saw you enter the hospital," the silver-haired Jonin explained. He was quite relaxed, leaning back in Tsunade's chair with his feet propped up on her desk. He casually turned the page of his book, making no attempts to elaborate further.

"What are you doing here?!" Tsunade growled, frustratedly slamming the door shut and locking it. She was acquainted with Kakashi, speaking with him now and then whenever she saw him around at the hospital, but she didn't consider him a close friend or anything of the sort.

"I noticed something was off and then I spotted you leaving in a hurry with my student," Kakashi explained, finally lifting his gaze from the book. "Obviously I was a little curious."

"This doesn't concern you!" Tsunade barked, balling her fists. She was beginning to lose her temper with the man. They only had a limited amount of time before everyone returned to their positions at the hospital and Kakashi's interruption certainly didn't help matters. Tsunade was about to explode until Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder, leaning closer.

"Baa-chan, I promise you Kakashi-sensei is trustworthy," Naruto whispered.

"What makes you so sure?" the woman muttered back, not totally convinced.

"Well, he's been my teacher for years and he's always been someone I can trust. I know he'll keep whatever you're gonna tell me a secret," Naruto answered.

Tsunade sighed heavily, her brow creasing as she thought it over. Naruto seemed quite confident in his proclamation...

"Fine," Tsunade huffed loudly as she and Naruto walked towards the two chairs placed in front of her desk. "But neither of you will repeat a single word I say to anyone else, unless I tell you otherwise," she announced.

"Oh, so it's a secret?" Kakashi inquired, placing the book on the desk and removing his feet. "I'm even more interested then."

"What do you know about Sakura-chan? Where is she? Is she safe?" Naruto asked, bombarding Tsunade with questions the moment he sat down next to her.

"Who now?" Kakashi questioned, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Sakura has been taken," Tsunade answered, ignoring Kakashi. "Sasuke and the rest of the Sound ninjas that infiltrated the village took her."

Naruto released a frustrated curse and slammed his fists down on Tsunade's desk. So his suspicions were true then. Something still wasn't right though. "Wait, why did they take Sakura-chan? What does Oto want with her?"

Tsunade opened her mouth to respond but froze just before she answered. She knew exactly what Orochimaru desired from Sakura, but how did he find out about her? "Did Sakura ever use her powers while she was with you?" she asked skeptically.

"Powers? Well, I mean she healed me once but that was it. She's really good at it, too! I didn't even have a scratch after she healed me!" Naruto responded.

Tsunade slapped a hand to her forehead. "She must have truly awakened her powers this time..."

"Baa-chan, what are you talking about?"

"You don't get it?! She's the third!" Tsunade bellowed, bewildered at how oblivious the boy was.

The room fell silent after the revelation. Naruto's jaw dropped after the words left the woman's mouth. All this time the person he was searching for was standing right in front of him. Yet he never even suspected Sakura was the third, totally blind to the hints. But, why didn't she tell him then? That's when Naruto remembered that she had never heard of the prophecy. At that moment, tons of unanswered questions popped into his head. "Why didn't Sakura-chan know about the prophecy? How do you know about Sakura-chan? Wait, are you her mother?!"

"I'm sorry," Kakashi declared, raising a hand and finally capturing the pair's attention, "but I'm going to need a lot more explaining to understand what's going on here."

"Me too," Naruto added, shooting a furious glare towards Tsunade.

"So you're saying that the third has finally emerged but was kidnapped by the Sound?" Kakashi continued.

"Just stop asking questions!" Tsunade shouted, rubbing her temples rapidly. After Naruto and Kakashi fell silent, she took a deep breath and calmed down. "Let me start from the beginning."

* * *

Tsunade placed a hand over her mouth when she yawned. It'd been a long, sleepless night, as she spent most of it out gambling and later drinking. She still was very irritated that she'd lost all of the money she brought... again. Gambling was never her strong suit but for some reason she still enjoyed it.

Now she was on her way back home to Konoha, where her assistant was more than likely worried sick about her. Shizune knew about her gambling and drinking habits, but Tsunade rarely left the main village to indulge in them.

She noticed that the sun was starting to set. It would be nightfall very soon. Oh well, it wasn't that big of a deal. She was close to the village entrance anyway. As long as she was back before her night shift at the hospital began then there wouldn't be a problem.

Suddenly, she stopped in the middle of the path, thinking she heard someone crying. After she listened for a moment, she decided it was just her imagination. The moment Tsunade continued her walk home she heard the cry again. She couldn't possibly be hearing things this time. She knew she wasn't when the wail entered her ears once more. It was a child, a baby, Tsunade realized. Instinct immediately kicked in and she sped through the trees towards the sound of the distressed baby.

It didn't take very long for Tsunade to locate the source of the crying, as the child was not very far off the path. Tsunade came to a halt on a high tree branch and carefully peeked through the clusters of leaves hanging in front of her face. Down below was the baby, who was being consoled by a masked man covered in camouflage from head-to-toe.

"Quiet her down! Someone might hear!" a man next to the one holding the baby hissed. He was also wearing a mask and equally dressed from head-to-toe as his partner.

"I'm trying!" the male growled in response. "It's okay. Stop crying now," he hushed the baby gently, his tone switching entirely.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes with suspicion. Why were these two men out here with the child? Why did they want her to be silent? Something was wrong... very wrong...

"Okay," the man holding the baby said as she seemed to settle down. He softly caressed her back and looked towards his partner.

"We were ordered to go out from the village a little farther but I guess this will do," he said, pointing towards a lone tree stump in the clearing. The pair walked to stand in front of the stump and the man with the baby set her down on top of it, unwrapping the blanket that had been wrapped tightly around her. The baby looked curiously up at the men and then started to giggle, making noises as she laughed.

Tsunade almost grinned at the child, until she saw the man who had been holding her take out a kunai knife.

"Just get it over with quickly," his partner said gruffly, averting his gaze from the child and crossing his arms.

The masked man raised his kunai knife, preparing to end it with one slash. He would do what he was commanded, even if the act was cruel, inhuman. He started to bring it down, but hesitated when the smile on the baby's face vanished and her lip began to quiver. It was almost as if she knew what was coming. The man swallowed harshly, his now shaking hand gripping the knife tighter.

 _"Don't do it!"_ Tsunade silently pleaded with the man. Her heart hammered violently against her chest as she stayed put on the tree branch. She was frozen to the spot, unable to move while she anxiously watched the situation unfold.

"What are you waiting on?" the other masked male questioned impatiently. "Huh?" he asked when his partner remained silent.

"I can't," the man replied eventually, slowly lowering his hand with the knife clutched in it.

"You've killed countless people in battle, what's the difference now?"

"What's the difference?! This is a child! A baby! He said she's only a week old as well..."

"You can't wimp out now!" he barked back, grabbing his partner's collar and shaking him around. "We're under orders! Need I remind you why?"

The man jerked himself out of the other's grasp and shamefully trained his eyes on the ground.

"You remember what he said right? She's one of the children of prophecy, one of the three."

Tsunade's eyes widened at the revelation. So they were ordered by someone to execute one of the children of prophecy. Why in the world would someone want them dead?! After all, they were supposed to end the war...

"We've always trusted his judgment before and we have to now. He's always done what's best for the village. Like he said, if even one of the three falls into the wrong hands then it will be devastating. If they're used against us, we'll all suffer. Don't you understand why this has to be done?"

"I do, but..." He made no effort to lift his weapon once more, still conflicted over the matter.

"It's for the advancement of Konoha! We're not going to fall to the Sound because of some stupid prophecy!"

As Tsunade watched on, still anchored to the spot, she noticed something about the men's camouflage uniforms. Each had the Leaf village's logo on their upper arms. Upon taking a closer look, Tsunade realized that they were shinobi headbands tied around their arms. So they were indeed aligned with Konoha and they were shinobi. Could that mean one of the village higher-ups ordered them to execute this child? Whoever commanded them to do so was certainly among the Leaf's ranks. Tsunade's thoughts were interrupted when the men began to talk again.

"I'll do it then!" the angry man shouted as he snatched the kunai knife from his partner's hand. He turned towards the tree stump and raised the knife. He, like his partner, started to swipe but stopped when he saw the small baby's face. All the arguing and shouting upset the child. Tears streaked across her cheeks as she began to cry again. With her previous fit, she'd been mad about something. But this time she was upset, scared. This became painfully evident to him when pitiful, short sobs escaped the baby's throat.

His resolve finally crumbled and he murmured a curse as he reluctantly lowered the knife. Neither of them could do it. "We'll just leave her here, but we'll hide her out of view. Surely the job will eventually finish itself," he decided, his voice wavering. He glanced to the side to see his partner nodding in agreement. The man breathed a regretful sigh before reaching down and grabbing the baby, wrapping her up in the blanket while searching for a suitable place to set her.

"Over there," his partner gestured towards a patch of thick bushes on the other side of the clearing. The pair walked towards the area and placed the baby inside the brush, ensuring she was hidden from view from anyone who might pass by.

"Let's go. We'll report back to him and tell him that the mission is completed."

"Ah."

They were gone not long after, then all became silent.

Tsunade swallowed harshly as her grip on the tree branch loosened. How could anyone even think of leaving a child, a baby, to die like this?! She couldn't decide what was worse, stabbing a baby or stranding it in the middle of nowhere? Either way, she was not going to let this baby stay out here and die.

Tsunade strained her ears to listen for any signs of the two men that had been tasked to kill the baby. After a minute she concluded that they had left the area for good. She then hopped from the tree branch to land gracefully on the ground. The baby's cries hit her ears the moment her feet touched the earth. She rushed towards the bushes the distressed child was hidden under and fell to her hands and knees, peering through the thick brush to spot her.

"You're safe now," Tsunade said in an effort to calm the frightened child as she carefully pulled her out of the brush. "Shh, shh," she cooed when she moved into a sitting position, gently rocking the child back and forth and patting her back. Tsunade let a relieved smile form on her lips when the baby's cries fell to hushed whimpers. She truly was a beautiful little thing, Tsunade thought. She possessed gorgeous green eyes and exotic pink hair, and even more strange, a pale purple diamond on her forehead.

"It's a bit chilly out here. Let's fix this," Tsunade said as she fiddled with the blanket that had almost fallen off the girl when she maneuvered her out of the bushes. The blanket was littered with cherry blossoms sewn into the fabric. Before wrapping the left half of the blanket over the baby, Tsunade noticed something else. The onesie she was wearing had a word on it in an elaborate texture.

"Sakura," she read aloud. "That must be your name, huh?" It matched her perfectly. Tsunade stood up, realizing how quickly the sun was setting now. They'd be lucky to make it back into the village before nightfall. She started to head back towards the main path with the child in her arms until she remembered the two men from earlier.

Tsunade's jaw dropped when she remembered their words. She wasn't just holding any random baby right now. She was holding a child of prophecy, one of the three destined to end the war that had raged on for decades. Tsunade found herself staring at the tiny human being in her arms, wondering how much power the little thing possessed in her body.

Her mind trailed back to the night when the meteor crashed into the earth. It was discovered who the mysterious lights had targeted soon after the incident, all three being pregnant women. The orange light had gone to the Hokage's own wife, Namikaze Kushina. The news had spread like wildfire that the Hokage's unborn child was one of the three destined to put an end to the war. Soon after, the Uchiha clan claimed that the purple streak of light had manifested itself inside one of its members. After that though there was no news of who the green light had latched onto. No one ever came forward to claim that their child was one of prophecy, or that they had seen where the light had gone. Of course people were curious as to where the last of the three was, but everyone figured that the answer would come to light eventually.

Tsunade had been personally asked by the Hokage, Namikaze Minato, if she would take charge of the check-ups and eventual births of the children and she had gladly accepted. She'd already seen Kushina and Mikoto for a few check-ups now, and they were both due in a few months. The third mother never came forward in that time.

The news of the prophecy had been received with mostly joy, some disbelief, and a select few were not fans of it, Tsunade remembered. She clenched her jaw as more of the two men's words came to mind. Someone inside the village wanted this child dead, presumably someone higher up in rank. The camouflaged men were shinobi, Jonin at least, and they were unlikely to take orders from anyone except a superior.

The question was, who?

Tsunade quickly discarded the Hokage from her list of possible suspects. She knew Minato personally and he was only ever caring and gentle unless he were in battle. She'd seen his love of helping people throughout his time as Hokage and before that when he was training under her own teammate and good friend Jiraiya. She'd seen how much he loved and cared for Kushina as well as his unborn son, which he told her they were going to name Naruto.

The reality of the situation was just beginning to truly set in. Someone with a considerable amount of power wanted the girl dead and ordered a pair of Jonin—who might have been even higher in rank—to carry out that task. This person had to be doing so without the Hokage's knowledge, plotting right under his nose...

Tsunade swallowed anxiously as she looked down at the pink-haired baby in her arms, who had calmed down and was starting to nod off. She knew what she had to do. Regardless of who wanted Sakura dead, they would figure out a way to get to her if they discovered that she was still alive. Tsunade couldn't let that happen, not just because Sakura was a child of prophecy, but because she was just an innocent baby. Sakura would have to be hidden away, at least until she could figure something else out.

Tsunade would have to tell Shizune everything she learned and she could already imagine her assistant's reaction. She knew she could trust Shizune, she had to trust her, as she would eventually find out of Sakura's existence with how much time she spent with her boss. But she could trust no one else outside of Shizune, not even Jiraiya or Minato. The less people that knew about Sakura the better. She couldn't risk word getting back to the person that wanted her dead.

Tsunade started her journey towards the village once more, deciding not to go back to the path as she had originally intended. She would have to get back into the village unnoticed, which meant not using the main entrance. This child was now her responsibility and she would rather die than see anyone else try to murder her, an innocent baby, for the sake of their own agenda. It was when they had traveled a good distance and she had thought about all the possibilities, good and bad, that could come out of this that Tsunade spoke softly to the now sleeping baby.

"I'll try to be a good mother to you, but I'm afraid I won't be very good at it," Tsunade said with a slight frown. She didn't really want children of her own, as she had more of an independent, free lifestyle. Tsunade liked to do whatever she wanted whenever she didn't have to be at the hospital, mainly drinking and gambling, and having a child would cause her to have different priorities, priorities she didn't necessarily want. She didn't dislike children; in fact, she quite liked kids. But having one of her own? That was something very different. Regardless of if she wanted a child or not, she would take it upon herself to take care of this one.

"Sakura, I'm sorry if I'm difficult sometimes, but I'll do my best to take care of you," she declared, a smile starting to form on her features. "I won't let anything bad happen to you, I promise..."

* * *

"That's a lot to take in," Naruto groaned as he rubbed the back of his neck. He glanced at Kakashi and noticed the look of intense concentration on the part of his face that was visible.

"I hid everything from her, the prophecy, her true power, everything," Tsunade continued lowly, her hands tightly gripping the edge of the desk. "I didn't want to risk her being seen by anyone if she were to show off her abilities. Someone still found her though, they still took her," she finished, trailing off. Tsunade did her best to hold it together, to maintain her composure. She hardly ever cried in front of others, but it was becoming too much to handle. "He has her now... Oh Kami, what have I done?! He's probably already gotten his hands on her! I should've been home! I should've protected her!" she cried as the hot tears finally spilled from her eyes.

"Baa-chan, it's okay," Naruto said, making an attempt to comfort the woman.

"S-Sasuke," she spluttered, wiping away the moisture on her cheeks. "He took her when he broke out of the prison. Now O-Orochimaru has her. Oh Kami... This is all my fault!"

Kakashi listened silently as Tsunade told her story and when Naruto tried to soothe her. At first he wondered if she was lying, but the moment she broke down he knew every word of it was true. Tsunade had never been one to break down like this, not when she was in stressful situations trying to keep someone alive at the hospital, not even on the battlefield when chaos erupted all around them and dead comrades stared at them with lifeless eyes.

Naruto was right. It was difficult to take in all that information, especially that there was probable corruption among some of the higher ranks. Someone he knew, maybe even someone he'd fought next to could've been involved in the plot to kill the third.

"That was a long time ago. Do you think that the person who organized the plan could still be in power today?" Kakashi asked skeptically.

Tsunade took a moment to regain her composure before replying, her voice unsteady. "I would be lying if I said I hadn't thought about that myself, but after the Hokage's speech I would say that whoever wanted to kill Sakura is definitely still in power."

"Y-You don't think... Hokage-sama?" Naruto questioned with uncertainty.

"I don't know who and I don't want to say that it's definitely him, but I think that he knows something. He isn't stupid, he has to know that Sasuke didn't go with the rest of the Sound shinobi after the prison break," Tsunade responded. "Sasuke broke into the house and chased after Sakura when she tried to escape. Other homes around mine are damaged and you can tell exactly where the fight went before he won."

"If he's already received the damage reports after the escape, then I think he has to know something as well," Kakashi added. "You live on the opposite side of the village from the archive building, where the other Sound shinobi went. That's where most of the damage is, but if what you're saying is true, then it's obvious to him that at least one of the escapees didn't go to the archive building..."

Tsunade released a sigh, running a hand through her hair with frustration. "Oh no," she breathed suddenly, her eyes widening.

"What is it?" Naruto and Kakashi asked simultaneously.

Tsunade jumped up from her seat and headed towards the door. "If he's received the village damage reports then he's probably already sent someone to investigate," she explained while unlocking the door. "If he is involved with the plot to kill Sakura, then he'll know exactly where she was staying. I haven't had time to cover the hole in the floor yet!" She turned to shoot a glare at Naruto and Kakashi. "Nothing I've said leaves this room," she declared sternly. "We'll meet up later to continue our discussion," she said, not giving either of them time to respond before she rushed out of the room.

If it was discovered that Sakura had been living in a room under the house and if the Hokage was behind the plot against Sakura, then he would go after herself and Shizune. She couldn't let that happen. Tsunade had promised Sakura that she would find her and she would keep that promise, no matter what.

* * *

The first thing she registered when she regained consciousness was the intense pounding in her head. It felt as if someone was thrashing her skull with a hammer repeatedly. Sakura groaned at the throbbing pain and slowly lifted her hand to press her palm against the area of discomfort. Only, when she raised her hand the other was pulled up along with it.

Sakura slowly lifted her heavy lids, confused by why that was the case. Looking at her hands, she realized that they were chained together at her wrists. Panic engulfed Sakura when she hastily pushed herself into a sitting position and viewed her surroundings.

This place was not one she recognized in the slightest. She was inside some cold, dark cell. The pair of torches on the other side of the iron bars were the only source of light in the enclosed space. Looking closer, Sakura noted that the space wasn't as small as she'd originally thought, as there appeared to be an opening on both sides. She stood up and rushed towards the iron bars, only to fall and land roughly about halfway there.

Sakura rolled over and gasped when she saw the shackle locked around her ankle. How did she get in this position? She had been knocked out, that much was obvious. Sakura thought about what had occurred before losing consciousness and everything hit her almost immediately. Her heart thundered against her chest when she remembered the boy, Sasuke, finding her in the house's underground room. She could visualize his swirling red eyes, the Sharingan, she remembered reading about. She remembered exactly how terrified she'd been in those moments until her body finally allowed her to move.

The details from then on were a bit blurry but the image of his hand laced with lightning flying towards her remained etched into Sakura's mind. There was another bang after that, the sound of the outside entrance's door exploding when she dodged. She made an attempt to escape, running across rooftops and zigzagging around houses, but her efforts had ultimately been in vain. It hadn't taken very long for Sasuke to catch her and then knock her out. Sakura felt another pang in the side of her head where he landed the final blow. She reached up and touched the spot again, feeling dried blood caked up around it.

The reality of the situation was slowly setting in, causing Sakura's breathing to become uneven and short. She had been kidnapped by the Sound village, enemy to the Leaf village. She didn't think for a moment that they wanted anything good from her...

 _"Promise me you won't give up, no matter what!"_

She could feel the moisture beginning to pool in her eyes when Tsunade's words rang through her head. This was all her own fault... If she had just listened to Tsunade then this wouldn't have happened. She wouldn't be in this freezing cell far from home. Oh gosh... she couldn't imagine what the Sound would do with her...

Sakura forced herself to stop thinking for a moment and focus only on steadying her breathing. She wouldn't accomplish anything if she didn't think rationally, which meant she needed to calm down. Not having much personal experience with well, hardly any real life situations, she only had words of advice from Tsunade and Shizune as well as stories from the books she read to go off of.

Sakura closed her eyes and racked her brain for anything said by Shizune or Tsunade that could assist her in this kind of situation. She finally located a memory at the back of her mind of Tsunade explaining what to do if someone ever kidnapped her or if she woke up in an unfamiliar place. Tsunade mentioned a personal experience where she had been captured while on a mission and Sakura asked her what she did to escape out of curiosity.

"The most important thing is to remain calm," Sakura recited the woman's words aloud. She had calmed down for the most part by now. "Next, assess the situation. Put together everything you know so far," she continued. Okay, so she was taken by Sound shinobi from the Leaf village, so that meant the cell she was currently trapped in was more than likely somewhere in Oto. She'd been taken because she was the third. They probably wanted her because of her abilities, which she'd only just recently become aware of. Sakura didn't have a clue as to how to control them or truly what her abilities were.

She searched her mind for any other information that might be useful. There was only one other detail she deemed important. The person tasked with subduing her was the second, Uchiha Sasuke. Sakura enjoyed learning things, so it seemed natural that she took a liking to the subject of history. She always enjoyed flipping through the old history books Tsunade brought her. One thing she particularly liked reading about was clans. The clan that interested her the most happened to be the Uchiha clan. She would sit and read about Uchiha Madara, the Sharingan, and more for hours at a time. She had also seen Sasuke's name in a book a couple years back, but it was not in a history book. It was in a bingo book, Konoha's book of wanted criminals...

She discarded the thought and refocused on Tsunade's words. "Look for a way out," she recited, immediately training her gaze on the restraints around her. They were attached very tightly and allowed her hardly any room to move. She then fiddled with the shackle around her ankle and found that it was practically the same as the restraints around her wrists. Unfortunately, the ankle restraint prevented her from reaching the iron bars in order to inspect them closely so she would have to do so from afar. The distance along with the dim lighting made it complicated to spot any weakened area in the bars. To Sakura's dismay, there didn't appear to be any weak point. It wouldn't even matter if she miraculously found a way to damage the bars, considering the ankle shackle didn't seem to have any weak points either.

There was one other thing Tsunade mentioned that stuck with her. It might be her only option at this point...

Suddenly, there was an eerie creaking noise that came from down the hallway outside the cell. Sakura gasped when the creaking stopped and a loud slam took its place. She listened nervously as a chorus of footsteps drew closer to her cell.

"Ah, you're awake," a man she was unfamiliar with said as he halted in front of her cell. His voice sent a chill down her spine. She stiffened when he turned to face her, the torches providing just enough light for her to make out some of his features. His frightening smile and pale skin made her want to withdraw as far back in the cell as she possibly could. She froze up, however, when her emerald gaze met his yellow one. Something about the man's eyes terrified Sakura to the core... They reminded her of snakes she'd seen only in pictures. The scaly animal always creeped her out.

"Feeling any better?" he asked, tilting his head to the side slightly.

Sakura remained silent, her expression full of hostility towards him.

He released a chuckle that sounded more ominous than lighthearted. "Rebellious are we? Hm, that will be fixed soon Sakura-chan. That's your name, correct? It's fitting."

A frown of disgust made its way to Sakura's lips when her name left his mouth. The only person she approved of saying her name like that was Naruto.

"You gave Sasuke-kun more trouble than I expected you would," he continued, studying her quietly. "Speaking of Sasuke-kun, he tells me that you belong to my dear old friend Tsunade. Is that so?"

Sakura's forehead scrunched together in confusion. Then, a movement beside the strange man captured her attention. She hadn't noticed Sasuke's presence until now. He'd kept his silence and judging by the irritated expression on his face Sakura could tell that he'd rather be anywhere else but in front of her cell right now. On the other side of the man speaking to her was another male she was unfamiliar with. He also remained quiet and only made a sound when he changed his standing position. The only features Sakura could make out were that he possessed long grey hair and glasses, too. She could see a small glare from them caused by the torch light.

"How rude of me, I haven't introduced myself," the man in front drawled. "My name is Orochimaru. I'm also the leader of Oto."

Sakura's jaw dropped when the realization finally came to her. Orochimaru was one of Tsunade's teammates a long time ago and one of the most notorious criminals in Konoha. She'd read about his crimes, about the cruel and inhuman experiments he illegally conducted. They were all sickening and made Sakura question how anyone could do such things to other people. Now that she looked at him up close though, she truly wasn't sure if Orochimaru was human at all.

"I assume you've figured out by now why you're here," Orochimaru stated. "The choice should be a clear one to make. You can cooperate and make things easy for yourself or I can make you cooperate, using any methods necessary. Choose wisely," he finished, a grin reappearing on his face.

Sakura knew exactly what he desired from her. He wanted to use her as a weapon to fight for the Sound village. She was positive he knew how unfamiliar with her powers she was. That meant she would have to train under him to develop them. He was crazy if he thought she would do what he wished with no questions asked. He was absolutely insane if he really thought she would agree to fight against the place she resided all her life, to fight against Tsunade, Shizune, and Naruto.

The last piece of Tsunade's advice filled her head again. If there was no chance she could escape, then there was only one other thing she could do, and that was not surrender.

 _"If you don't see an escape, then you have to wait for the right opportunity. It might take some time, but until then, you resist. You fight until your last breath."_

"You'll have to make me," Sakura spat in response. Tsunade promised she would find her. That would be her escape if she couldn't find an opportunity before then. In the meantime, she would resist and put up as much of a fight as she could against Orochimaru, even if she was afraid. Sakura couldn't deny the fear she felt by simply looking at Orochimaru, but she couldn't let even that make her give up. She made a promise to Tsunade that she wouldn't surrender, no matter what, and she intended to keep it.

* * *

Sasuke was not squeamish in the slightest when it came to something like torture. He'd watched Orochimaru and other Sound shinobi torture others before, anything from a little roughing up to the cruelest of methods that would make anyone else sick. Orochimaru didn't discriminate; he tortured both men and women in the most disturbing ways possible. He never stopped until he got whatever he desired from his victims.

Sasuke had witnessed Orochimaru perform experiments that everyone, including himself, would deem inhumane. Yet he always kept his silence when these things occurred, no matter how terrible the acts were. He always watched with a straight face until he was allowed to leave. In his defense, the vast majority of people he'd seen tortured were considered high-class criminals in Oto, at least by Orochimaru's standards that is. He didn't care what crimes they were being tortured for, nor did he care enough to listen during their interrogations to find out. Orochimaru only made him come just in case these "high-class criminals" attempted an escape and he knew Sasuke could easily subdue them.

He couldn't suppress the scoff that escaped his mouth when Orochimaru told him he was classifying Sakura as one of these "high-class criminals". That meant he would have to tag along when he paid his first visit to the girl. This was all precaution he knew, but she couldn't even control her powers and she was put in the most protected cell in the place. He could've used the time to do something more productive such as train.

Instead he was here, wasting his time standing outside the cell while Orochimaru conducted business that was purely his own. Sasuke didn't care who won the war. His only goal was to avenge his clan. That was the only thing that mattered.

Something that further irritated him and soured his mood was that Orochimaru deemed it necessary for Kabuto to be here and guard as well. He didn't like Kabuto at all. Heck, he didn't like Orochimaru either—in fact, he quite despised him and most of his actions—but at least Orochimaru was somewhat tolerable to be around. Orochimaru proved to be useful to him for the last few years. After all, he did help him learn about his abilities and powers and how to use them.

Sasuke let a sigh of frustration leave his lips, bringing his mind back to reality. He watched and listened with little interest as Orochimaru exchanged words with her and the interrogation dragged on. Eventually Orochimaru told her she had a choice to cooperate, which would make things easier, or he would force her to cooperate.

Sasuke felt some relief at the offer, as it meant this would probably conclude soon. He expected her to choose to cooperate. She was absolutely terrified; it was easy to tell. That's why when she defiantly refused to cooperate he focused entirely on the situation before him. His eyes widened a fraction out of shock when he flicked his gaze towards Sakura, who had stood up and was staring Orochimaru down with a malicious glare.

He heard Orochimaru begin to chuckle as he slowly stalked towards the cell door. Sasuke could tell that he wasn't expecting her to refuse either and that he was a bit flustered by Sakura's blatant defiance. He observed as the pink-haired girl stumbled towards the back wall when Orochimaru entered the cell. Her expression of resolve and rebellion that was there only moments ago had vanished and was replaced by total and utter fear.

Sasuke clenched his jaw when her scream pierced his ears. She was laying on the cell floor soon after, tears spilling from her eyes while she shakily pressed a hand to the fresh wound in her shoulder, blood seeping out of the holes and into the fabric of her partially torn shirt.

"That was just a warning," Orochimaru said in his usual calm demeanor when he exited the cell and sealed it shut again. "You will comply one way or another, whether you want to or not," he finished. "Watch her and make sure she doesn't die," he said with a grin, looking towards Kabuto.

Kabuto only blinked for a moment before nodding then adjusting his glasses and maneuvering past Sasuke to stand closer to the cell.

Orochimaru dismissed Sasuke and started to head for the exit. The Uchiha watched as he opened the heavy steel door and closed it behind him, the sound echoing off the walls. He glanced at Kabuto, who appeared to be slightly bewildered still, before turning and heading towards the door. He peered at Sakura through the corner of his eye as he did so and saw the blood coating the hand that clutched her shoulder. There was something else. Venom, he realized.

There was never any telling what kind of wounds Orochimaru could inflict or what abilities he possessed, what with all the experiments he conducted on himself. The last glimpse Sasuke caught of Sakura before he passed her cell was that of her curling up into a ball and pressing her forehead onto the floor, teeth gritted. His ears registered the sound of her harsh, uneven pants as he exited the high-security cell area.

Normally, he felt nothing during these types of occurrences. Orochimaru would torture his victims and he would stand and watch, not even batting an eyelash at the horrific sights. Heck, this wasn't close in the slightest to being as terrible as other types of violence and brutality he'd witnessed. Yet something about this instance made Sasuke feel somewhat uneasy deep down, maybe even a tad bit bothered. Perhaps it was because the people he'd seen tortured prior were actual crminals and Sakura wasn't. He didn't know hardly anything about the girl but he did know that she was no "high-class criminal" as Orochimaru put it. The only reason she was classified as such was because she was the third and possessed an immense amount of power, untamed power, and she had yet to swear her allegiance to Oto. She hadn't experienced real torture yet but there was no shred of doubt in Sasuke's mind that she would if she chose to keep resisting. If she pushed him far enough off the edge, she'd experience Orochimaru at his worst...

Sasuke forced the thought to the back of his mind. What happened to her was of no concern to him. He had more important things to worry about, like improving so he would be ready when the time came. He wouldn't allow any distractions to get between him and his goal. He focused entirely on his ultimate mission while he walked towards the training grounds, practicing for hours afterward and not thinking once about what had happened earlier in the high-security cell area.

It wasn't until he was laying in bed that night when his thoughts drifted, his eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling because he couldn't sleep, that he realized he'd looked away when Orochimaru struck Sakura.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hope you enjoyed! This chapter took so long to edit haha. Please review and tell me what you thought! If you have any questions feel free to ask or PM me. I'll try to get the next chapter done as soon as possible, but like I said in my first note I want to make sure I enjoy my writing as well as my readers. Thank you all for your support!


	5. Opportunity

**Author's Note:** Remember how I was talking about how long the last chapter took to edit? Welp, this chapter turned out even longer than last chapter at just over 14,000 words. In fact it broke my personal record for the longest chapter I've ever written, haha. I really don't like making single chapters this long but the chapter started and ended at the points I wanted them to. I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for your support! It means a lot to me! Anyways, please enjoy!

* * *

Itachi crouched down and surveyed the marred earth. He silently inspected the patch of grass that was specked with dark red, his fingertips grazing the blades lightly. He lifted his hand and noted that none of the blood had latched onto his skin. It was dry as he'd presumed. It was definitely the girl's blood, too. There were two sets of footprints that led to the patch of dried blood and one disappeared on the other side of the speckled ground. The remaining set was larger in size.

 _"This is where the chase ended,"_ Itachi noted as he stood up. There were no eyewitness accounts of Sasuke at the archive building after the prison break, so he was positive it was Sasuke who'd captured the girl.

Itachi dragged his foot over the dried patch of blood and the two sets of footprints as he followed them backwards, distorting them the best he could. No one else needed to do their own investigating, especially anyone living in the residences only feet away. If they somehow discovered any classified details then they would be in danger. He followed the footprints, continuing to disfigure them as he went. Itachi jumped onto the nearest rooftop after the trail ended and sure enough, the roof was littered with broken shingles. He looked at the rooftop across from the one he was perched on and noticed more shattered shingles.

Itachi followed the trail of damaged roofing until it led into the narrow streets below. From there he searched for knocked over or disfigured items to continue tracking their path. Itachi followed the trail on the ground for the next couple of minutes, finding singe markings on a corner of an apartment building and a cluster of shuriken implanted into a small business building.

If he wasn't convinced Sasuke was the girl's pursuer before he certainly was now. The fact was an insignificant detail concerning his current mission though. Itachi shoved intrusive thoughts of his little brother to the back of his mind as he hopped onto another rooftop. He crouched for a moment to survey the tiles and noted how there didn't appear to be much damage to this one, only a couple of scuff marks. _"There was more separation between them here,"_ Itachi thought. He was getting closer to the chase's origin.

Itachi stood up and dropped to the earth below when he saw that the chase was at ground level again. He casually walked along the trail until a voice entered his ears.

"You're an ANBU!" a child said incredulously, sneezing right after the sentence left his mouth.

"Ah," Itachi confirmed, turning to face the young boy who was no older than seven. He'd been aware of the child's presence from the start, but he felt no increased alertness from it. The boy posed no threat to him or his investigation.

"That's so cool!" he continued, stepping out of his home and quickly shutting the door behind him. He leaned against it and a large smile took over his features. "I'm Koji. What's your name?"

"I'm afraid that's classified information," Itachi responded, the ghost of a smile resting under his mask at the child's curiosity. "It's nice to meet you Koji. Why aren't you listening to the Hokage's speech with the rest of the villagers?" he questioned. He received his answer when Koji sneezed once more and slipped into a coughing fit afterwards.

"I'm sick," Koji chuckled shortly, wiping his nose with a long black shirt sleeve. "The rest of my family is there though, my mother and my older brother... My father... he was sent to the front lines and killed a few months ago..."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Itachi responded, observing as the grin on Koji's face sunk and was replaced by a sullen frown. "My father passed away a while ago."

Koji's head jerked up to stare at him with a surprised expression. "D-Did he die in the war, too?" he inquired in an almost whisper.

"He would still be here if it were not for this war," Itachi replied, his voice softening a touch. It wasn't a lie. His father and his clan would probably still be here if there was no war. But there was much, _much_ more to it than that...

"Oh," Koji replied, quickly trailing off. He eventually spoke again, averting his gaze from Itachi in an attempt to hide the tears that were brimming in his hazel eyes. "Nii-san, he's supposed to be going off to war soon..."

Itachi remained silent as the boy sniffed repeatedly.

"I-I don't want him to leave us like Tou-san!" Koji croaked out, the tears finally falling. He placed an arm over his face when he heard the ANBU member stepping closer.

"Koji," Itachi started when he kneeled and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, "I can't promise you that what happened to your father won't happen to your brother, but I do know that you'll be a driving force for him when he's sent out."

Koji wiped furiously at his cheeks in order to get rid of the moisture streaking down them. He tried to control his sobs when he felt the masked man's hand grip his shoulder. "W-What do you mean?"

Itachi took a moment to form the correct words before speaking. "I know your brother will fight his hardest on the battlefield to get back to you, to end the war for you."

The little boy's face brightened a smidgen at Itachi's words, but his expression was still filled with worry and uncertainty. Itachi couldn't blame him for feeling such things. He'd experienced it himself as a child... the helplessness and fear while caught in the middle of a war...

"He'll be fulfilling his duties to the village while he's away, but you'll also have a duty to fulfill," Itachi continued.

"Huh?" Koji sounded in confusion, his brows scrunching together.

"While you're elder brother is away, you'll be the only man in the house. You'll have to be strong for your mother and protect her. Do you think you can do that Koji?"

Koji's face brightened for a split second before hardening into an expression of seriousness. He seemed to grasp the importance of the task.

Itachi released a short chuckle when Koji nodded. He stood up and tousled the boy's hair, causing him to let a laugh exit his lips, too. "I know you'll do a good job," Itachi encouraged. His grin faded when the mission Danzo assigned him found its way to the forefront of his mind. He had to continue investigating. His best opportunity to gather details and evidence uninterrupted was now while the majority of the village was crowded in front of the Hokage Tower. There was no telling how soon they could all return to their normal lives.

"I'm afraid I have to go now," Itachi announced as he stared down at the boy. "It was nice meeting you Koji," he continued with a small bow.

"It was nice meeting you, too," Koji responded with a bow of his own.

"Ah, now you should go back inside and rest so you can get better," Itachi said before turning and taking a few steps forward.

"Okay," Koji replied disappointedly while the ANBU member began to walk off. He listened to the masked man's footsteps as he opened the door and walked inside. "Hey!" he called when he abruptly stopped and swirled around on his heel. Koji waited until the ANBU member halted and looked over his shoulder at him before he spoke. "I'll make sure to keep my mom safe! I'm gonna be one of the world's best ninjas some day!"

"I'll hold you to that," Itachi replied with a small smirk at the boy's determination. He heard Koji laugh before the sound of a door clicking shut met his ears.

A frown formed on Itachi's lips when he remembered his task. He needed to get back to the investigation immediately. No more distractions. Itachi found the last part of the trail where he left off and continued to trace it from there. He followed it for a couple of minutes before he discovered what appeared to be the chase's origin. The two sets of footprints led to the back of a house which had a strange amount of potted plants centered in front of one area. He walked towards the cluster and found that it hid a tarp from view. Itachi maneuvered between the plants and crouched down in front of the tarp. He grabbed hold of the material and swiftly removed it from its place. It was covering an underground entrance to the house.

Itachi walked into the hole and paused when he reached the bottom step. This was no regular basement; it was a living area of sorts. There wasn't too much in the underground space of note, just some furniture and lots of books. He journeyed further into the room and spotted a pile of broken wood next to the couch along with a heavily damaged door above him. Someone, Sasuke he assumed, had obviously found the living space which was supposed to be a secret. He was sure this was where the chase started. To further confirm his suspicions, he searched the two rooms off to the side of the bigger one. After finishing with the first one and finding articles of clothing that looked to belong to a teenage girl, he began his search of the second room.

There only remained one unanswered question in Itachi's mind. Who had been harboring the girl all this time? It didn't take him very long to find the answer to this question. Opening a drawer on the nightstand, his eyes met the sight of a couple pictures featuring the pink-haired girl, the third.

Itachi picked the photograph on top up and his lips parted in shock when he recognized the woman holding the pink-haired girl. So Senju Tsunade was the one that had taken care of the girl after all this time? He had to give her credit. It must've been tough to hide a child for so long considering her high status in the village. He placed the photo back into the drawer and looked at the second one. There was another woman in this photo. Her assistant, Shizune, was in on it too? Itachi would've been lying if he said he wasn't suprised at all by his findings.

With everything settled, Itachi made sure the items he'd touched inside the underground space were rearranged back to their original positions before he exited out of the space he crawled into earlier. He moved the tarp so that it was covering the hole once more and maneuvered past the cluster of plants. He started to walk with no destination in mind. The villagers would start to move all throughout the village again soon, which would mean the Hokage's speech had concluded. After things returned to normal he would report his findings to the Hokage.

"Please!" came a voice behind him.

Itachi halted abruptly at the sound of the woman's voice. He inwardly cursed his lack of awareness. He'd been so focused on his thoughts and relaxed because everyone was supposed to be packed in front of the Hokage Tower that he hadn't noticed the woman approaching him. Itachi peered over his shoulder and blinked at Tsunade, waiting for her to speak. She'd deliberately hidden her chakra signature until now...

"I'm begging you," she pleaded desperately. It was so uncharacteristic of her to act in such a way. "Please... don't tell them... Don't tell anyone..."

Tsunade swallowed nervously as the deafening silence dragged on. She watched as the man clothed in ANBU gear slowly turned his head to the front. She could feel the hope of rescuing Sakura steadily drain from her body the longer he went without uttering a word.

Then, he vanished.

All the breath in Tsunade's lungs seemed to have disappeared as well. That was it. He would report to the Hokage or whoever and they would come for her and probably Shizune, too. They would be taken to who knows where and tortured until they gave them the information they wanted. Then they would be unceremoniously killed, and without anyone else knowing the true reason behind it. They would make something up to tell the village and to put into the papers. No one would be suspicious and Sakura would still be stuck in Oto, suffering at Orochimaru's hands. All hope was lost...

Itachi studied the unmoving woman from afar after reappearing on a rooftop. He'd never seen Tsunade act so desperate before. He wasn't close to her by any means, before or after the massacre, but he'd heard enough stories of her bravery on the battlefield and determination in the hospital to know that this wasn't a usual occurrence. He raised his eyebrows when he captured her expression filled with pure hopelessness. He didn't know why, but what he saw next caused his eyes to soften.

A single tear rolled down Tsunade's cheek and fell to the ground.

* * *

Sasuke eagerly entered the Uchiha district, panting as he ran. He couldn't wait to tell his parents about his day at the Academy. He came to a halt shortly after passing the entrance, taking a moment to catch his breath. After his breathing settled, Sasuke straightened his back and narrowed his eyes as he looked around.

It was _very_ quiet in the district. There were days where he came home and it was less noisy, but this was odd. It was almost—no, it was—dead silent. The only sounds Sasuke heard were his own breathing and chirping crickets. There wasn't even a single person on the street. Maybe there was some kind of meeting or event going on somewhere else in the district? Oh well, he could find out later. If he didn't hurry home he'd be late for dinner.

Sasuke started towards his dwelling once more, not questioning the strange silence again until he rounded the corner at the end of the street. What Sasuke saw made him immediately stop in his tracks, a gasp escaping his lips. One of his clan members was laying facedown on the ground, a pool of blood surrounding him. Sasuke swallowed nervously before he slowly approached the motionless man, his feet shaking with every step. He could hear his heart beating out of his chest when he crouched down and clutched the fabric of the man's bloody shirt. Then, Sasuke reluctantly turned the man's body over so that his back was on the ground.

He found himself frozen in place at the sight before him. His clan member was dead, a massive gash spanning the width of his chest and blood gushing from the fatal wound. His lifeless eyes filled with fear stared up into nothingness, as if his attacker was still in front of him.

Sasuke's body finally allowed him to move once again and he stumbled backwards in terror, away from the dead body. What in the world had happened to his clansman? Sasuke fearfully tore his gaze away from the corpse and looked down the street, his breath catching in his throat and his eyes nearly bulging from their sockets when he did so.

It looked like a scene straight out of a horror movie. Corpses littered the street, windows were shattered, doors were broken, fresh blood was spattered on the buildings. Sasuke stared in utter dread and confusion at the sickening sight. This couldn't be happening...

"No," Sasuke whispered absentmindedly when he remembered his original destination. He was running through the streets a moment later, doing his best to avoid getting a glimpse at any of the corpses he passed by. They had to be okay... They just had to...

"Kaa-san!" Sasuke shouted desperately as he flung the sliding door to the house open, removing his bag from his shoulder and tossing it aside. He received no answer. "Tou-san!" he called when he entered the kitchen, his voice cracking. Again, there was nothing. He searched the rest of the house and did not find either one of his parents. Sasuke's breathing was out of control when he stumbled out of the house on the verge of tears. What happened? Where was his family?

That's when he spotted it out of the corner of his eye. Sasuke hesitantly turned to face the half-open door and slowly began to approach it. The room was a small storage space that his family had yet to use. He reached out with a shaking hand and pressed it against the wooden door, reluctantly pushing it open. He could have sworn his heart skipped a beat as the creaking of the hinges stopped and he laid eyes on the bodies of his parents.

Sasuke felt his world come crashing down the longer he stared at the lifeless, bloody bodies, both face down and his father's on top of his mother's. "Tou-san? K-Kaa-san?" Sasuke croaked out, feeling the tears well up in his eyes. He choked back a sob when neither moved or made a sound. No... They couldn't be... Why?! Who?!

Sasuke gasped and flicked his gaze upward when he noticed the subtle movement. "Nii-san!" he shouted with the slightest glimmer of hope in his eyes when he recognized who was standing on the other side of the room. Itachi was still alive... His older brother was still here! "What happened? Why is everyone...?" He trailed off, his gaze meeting the sight of a blood-coated blade. And it was in Itachi's hand...

"Nii-san...?"

A deafening silence followed.

"Yes, I did it," Itachi declared finally, answering the question Sasuke couldn't bring himself to ask. He sheathed the blade and stepped forward into the light, not the slightest hint of remorse on his features.

"No... no no no no..." Sasuke stammered, shaking his head back and forth. Itachi was lying. He had to be! The stone cold, serious expression on his elder brother's face told him otherwise. "Why?" he asked in a near whisper, his voice failing him.

"I wanted to test my abilities," Itachi responded evenly, acting as if it were a casual conversation he'd hold on any given day.

"To... test your abilities?" Sasuke returned, his brows knitting together in confusion. Itachi slaughtered their clan... to test his abilities? Sasuke was caught off guard when Itachi released a chuckle, a smirk coming to rest on his lips.

"You think I'm lying to you?" Itachi inquired in a tone so ominous that Sasuke shuddered. "Foolish little brother... You truly believe I ever cared about you?"

A tear fell down Sasuke's cheek at the brazen statement. "Y-You..."

"You've always been such an annoying little pest," Itachi spat, his voice laced with venom. "I can't ever go anywhere without you wanting to tag along," he scoffed. "Always following me around, being a hindrance. I decided to humor you though and play the part... let you grow up believing you had a big brother that cared."

Sasuke's lip quivered at his brother's cruel words and sobs began to rack his chest. He continued to shake his head.

"You still don't believe me?" Itachi asked, almost sounding amused.

Sasuke watched in pure terror as Itachi's eyes morphed into a red and black pattern that was all too familiar. The next instant he wasn't in the same room with his parents' corpses. Instead, he was standing on the street he ran along earlier when he spotted the first body. Itachi was there, too. Sasuke attempted to move when he saw his brother walking towards him. He gasped and struggled when he found that his feet were seemingly anchored to the ground. A couple walked past him, oblivious to his existence. It was his aunt and uncle, Sasuke realized.

"No!" Sasuke shouted in horror when Itachi swiftly retrieved a pair of kunai knives from his weapon pouch and sent them sailing towards their aunt and uncle. The kunai met their mark in no time, ripping through flesh and effectively cutting through vital organs. They fell to the ground, lifeless, and others nearby immediately took notice. Everyone attacked Itachi and he slayed them all, one by one... Sasuke was forced to watch the sickening scene as it unfolded. The setting switched several times and Sasuke had to witness every single one of his clansmen be murdered by his brother. They finally ended up at their home and Sasuke was positioned inside the doorway, just feet in front of his kneeling parents.

"No! Stop!" he yelled in desperation as Itachi raised his blade. "Nii-san! Please!" Itachi paid him absolutely no mind, bringing his sword down without hesitation. "Kaa-san! Tou-san!"

Sasuke was forced to watch the murder of his entire clan, totally defenseless, over and over and over again. It was endless... He witnessed it all hundreds, thousands of times...

Sasuke was screaming at the top of his lungs, his hands tugging at his hair, when Itachi finally broke the genjutsu. All of it was true... Itachi murdered them all without a second thought... Tears streamed down Sasuke's cheeks when he collapsed to the floor, his body suddenly feeling too heavy for his legs to hold up. He panted harshly as he laid with his cheek against the wooden floor, his vision blurred due to the immense amount of moisture pooled in his onyx orbs.

The sound of feet padding against the floor entered his ears and Sasuke looked up, his eyes widening at the sight of Itachi approaching him. He was going to...

"D-Don't kill me!" Sasuke yelled as fear encased him and he hurriedly pulled himself up to stand. He used whatever energy he still possessed to bolt out of the room and onto the closest main road. He didn't know where he was heading, he just knew he had to escape, to keep running until he got away from Itachi.

Fwoosh!

Sasuke shouted in pain as the shuriken cut through his sleeve and into his arm. He stumbled to the ground and held the fresh wound in his shoulder, gritting his teeth and suppressing a groan. He cowered in fear when Itachi appeared in front of him and he stared down at his little brother's helpless form. "P-Please don't kill me!" Sasuke begged.

"You're too weak to kill," Itachi sneered, shaking his head in disgust as he twisted around. He cocked his head to the side and peered at Sasuke over his shoulder. "Train and become more powerful. Obtain power so you actually pose a threat to me. Then come and find me if you wish to kill me, to punish me for my actions..."

Sasuke stared in wonder as Itachi hopped off the ground and onto the nearest rooftop, disappearing from there soon after. A spark of rage ignited within him as the reality of the situation set in. He couldn't, wouldn't, let him escape. He was not weak! He'd punish him right here and now!

Sasuke growled as he pushed himself to his feet once more, angry tears falling from his now red and black eyes. A light purple coloring spread around his body, coating it entirely. Along with the Sharingan, Sasuke unknowingly awakened the powers he'd been told he was born with.

He rushed to a nearby shinobi's corpse and opened the weapon pouch on his leg, quickly jerking out the ninja tools inside and whipping around to face the direction Itachi had fled. Sasuke pushed himself to move faster than ever before as he pursued his elder brother. It took him less than a minute to catch up to Itachi, who seemed to think he was in the clear and moving at a relaxed pace.

Sasuke shouted in fury as he readied to launch the handfuls of weapons towards Itachi, who turned at the interruption, his eyes widening slightly in shock. He swiftly unsheathed his sword and blocked the barrage of ninja tools, all except one, which collided with his forehead protector and knocked it off.

Sasuke jumped into the air when Itachi dropped to the ground and skidded to a halt. He wrenched his fist back and prepared to strike.

What happened next was a blur. All he knew was that Itachi grabbed hold of him, twisting his arm into a very uncomfortable position. He was unceremoniously tossed into the middle of the street, his body landing roughly on the earth. Sasuke panted and tried to push himself off the ground, but his body was at its limit. His vision began to blur and his eyelids became a tremendous task to hold open when he watched Itachi retrieve his forehead protector and put it back on his head.

Itachi turned to look over his shoulder at his little brother, a single tear sliding down his cheek. This was the last thing Sasuke saw before everything went dark.

* * *

Sasuke awoke from his nightmare in a cold sweat, shooting straight up in panic. He clutched at the damp fabric of his shirt and closed his eyes as he panted, willing air to return to his lungs. When Sasuke was calm enough, he shoved his comforter off of him and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

He entered the bathroom and walked to stand in front of the sink. Sasuke twisted one of the knobs and waited for the cold water to start gushing out before cupping his hands and splashing it on his face, repeating the action a handful of times.

After turning the knob again, the water stopped flowing into the sink and the only remaining sound in the bathroom was Sasuke's heavy breathing. It wasn't due to his physical state when waking up, rather it was caused by his anger when his mind replayed the nightmare.

Sasuke hadn't experienced peaceful sleep in years with nightmares invading his mind every night since that fateful day, but he hadn't had one this vivid in a long time. The nightmare was quite close to the actual happenings of that night—too close—with only a few variances here and there. Perhaps the biggest difference between the dream and reality was the ending. His brother did not cry after committing such abhorrent acts. There were no tears running down Itachi's cheek that night; it was merely a figment of his imagination, something his brain implemented into the nightmare. It made no sense for him to cry, even if he only let one tear escape his eyes. If he had cried, then that meant he was remorseful, which simply couldn't be true. Itachi had made it abundantly clear through his words that night that he felt absolutely no remorse for his actions.

Sasuke absentmindedly glared into the sink as his grip on the sides of it increased, his knuckles turning white. He remembered everything so perfectly. Itachi forced him to watch thousands of times as he murdered each and every member of the Uchiha clan. Sasuke could picture it all so clearly, down to the smallest detail. He knew the order of which members were killed and when, what weapon they were slaughtered with, and where the wounds were inflicted. It was all etched so perfectly into his brain, unwillingly memorized that night when he suffered through the genjutsu.

 _"Calm down,"_ Sasuke silently ordered himself, forcibly prying his hands from the sink and taking a deep breath. He couldn't allow his emotions to take over and control him. It was true that he used his anger and hatred to fuel him, but it would it be damaging if he were to let them be the driving force for all of his actions. He couldn't allow emotions to overcome and replace his rational thoughts.

Sasuke exited the bathroom and sat down in the middle of his room, crossing his legs and straightening his back. He decided to meditate for a few minutes before heading to one of the training fields. It would help him focus and clear his mind beforehand. He relaxed his arms and placed his hands together in an ovular shape. Some questioned the peculiar motion but Sasuke found that it assisted him in focusing more during meditation. He closed his eyes and angled his head downward ever so slightly so that he was both comfortable and relaxed.

Sasuke was able to disconnect and free his mind for a short period of time. The nightmare disappeared and so did his anger. Usually Sasuke could meditate for long periods of time without being disturbed whatsoever, but it seemed his brain had different plans for this instance. It only took a couple minutes for intrusive thoughts to distract him. Sasuke's brow furrowed in concentration as he entertained the thoughts, but he kept his eyes shut.

It'd been three days and Sakura still refused to surrender. The longest anyone else lasted under Orochimaru's torture prior to this was twenty-six hours. Sasuke avoided the high-security cell block ever since he left when Orochimaru first struck her. He'd focused on training for the two days afterward and tried to keep the matter out of his mind. What Orochimaru desired from Sakura was of no importance to him. Yet when he'd gone to find the leader of Oto on the third day in order to inquire about teaching him something new, Sasuke was surprised when he entered Orochimaru's favorite lab and found that he was not present. Instead he discovered Kabuto, who was fiddling with something at one of the cluttered lab benches.

"Where's Orochimaru?" Sasuke snapped as he approached the busy medical ninja.

"He's occupied with the third at the moment," Kabuto replied briskly, not removing his concentration from whatever he was fooling with.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at this. Usually Kabuto would respond to him with immense sarcasm, but he was very obviously frustrated this time around.

"Apparently," Kabuto began as he stood up, answering the question Sasuke refrained from asking, "she requires some extra persuasion, more so than others..."

Sasuke wordlessly eyed the man as he walked towards another lab bench, this one cleaner than the one he was just sitting at. He watched Kabuto lay what he'd been working with down on a tray filled with numerous tools and medical supplies. It was a syringe and it was filled with some kind of sedative drug, Sasuke realized.

An annoyed huff left his lips before he turned and left the room, setting out towards the training fields at a brisk pace. He took his irritation out on a pair of Sound shinobi already practicing on the field his feet led him to. They agreed to spar with him though, so Sasuke felt little to no remorse when he left both of them bloody and battered, lying on the ground and groaning in pain. He didn't attack anything vital so they wouldn't have died. He made sure to inform the first shinobi he spotted of the two severely wounded ninjas after exiting the field. The man flinched upon noticing Sasuke approaching him, but nonetheless he listened and offered a nod after Sasuke stopped talking to show that it would be taken care of.

Orochimaru hadn't taught him anything new or advanced in quite a while. The Otokage's neglect of his training was beginning to get under Sasuke's skin. His irritation with Orochimaru aside, Sasuke would be bluffing if he said he held no curiosity whatsoever when it came to Sakura. He wondered how she was able to resist for so long. Orochimaru wasn't the type to ask nicely for something and back off when denied that something. He only strived harder to obtain what he desired, to accomplish his goal. He would do this by whatever means he deemed necessary, no matter what the cost. Orochimaru was a power hungry man, driven only by self-interest. If it benefitted him, he'd pursue it and if it harmed him, he would remove it.

Sasuke could already tell a lot about Sakura even with their very minimal encounters. She was the type of person who wore her heart on her sleeve, giving him the opportunity to read her like a book. During their confrontation in Konoha and even as he watched her defy Orochimaru at the prison block, Sasuke easily perceived how fearful and inexperienced she was. Sakura had hardly any training as a shinobi and didn't even know that she was one of the three mentioned in the prophecy until a few days ago. She was also extremely stubborn; she had to be. She still fought against him and Orochimaru even though she was so terrified.

Suddenly, a whisper directly behind his head caused Sasuke to tense before he whipped around. There was no one else there. The whisper was eerily similar to...

"Whatever," Sasuke muttered while climbing to his feet, dismissing the thought. That was enough meditation for now, even though he'd been distracted almost the entire time...

Sasuke decided to skip breakfast and go straight to the training grounds. The only practice he'd done yesterday was the short session in which he'd quickly demolished his two opponents, so he would do some heavy training today and then take a break tomorrow to rest.

He changed into his training outfit and gathered his weapons before setting out. Training field two might be a decent place to start the day off. He hadn't been there in a while.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow when he rounded the corner leading to training field two and found about a dozen Sound-nins standing in front of it in total silence. They were staring directly at the closed iron door as if they were waiting for something. Sasuke continued to approach the door, aiming to squeeze past the cluster of shinobi uninterrupted. He was a higher rank than them and they would listen to any orders he gave. Whenever he entered a training field and desired those already present to leave, they immediately did what he asked. No one dared to cross him.

Needless to say, Sasuke was noticeably irritated when he motioned to pass the first shinobi in his way and the man quickly stepped in front of him once more.

"Move," Sasuke commanded in a near growl, staring the man directly in the eye.

"I'm afraid I can't do that Sasuke-sama," the man replied, standing his ground.

"And why is that?" Sasuke challenged, taking a step closer and glaring daggers through the man.

"Sasuke-kun," a newcomer called.

Sasuke cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at Orochimaru. "What's the meaning of this?"

"They're obeying my orders," the Otokage explained. "Come," he beckoned, willing Sasuke to follow him up the stairs he'd just went down.

The Uchiha huffed in annoyance but complied anyway. At the top of the stairs was a small room for spectators, one Sasuke had never bothered to enter before. He spotted Kabuto—who was staring intently at something through the one-way view glass overlooking the field—when he reached the top step. The medic offered him no greeting.

"Sorry for the inconvenience Sasuke-kun, but this training field will be off limits today," Orochimaru apologized, walking to stand next to Kabuto. "Since I can't seem to break Sakura-chan's will yet, I've decided to make some observations in the meantime."

"Observations?" Sasuke questioned as he made his way towards the glass, still none too pleased that he couldn't enter the field. His eyes widened a fraction when he looked through the glass to view training field two and caught sight of a motionless figure in the middle of the area. It didn't take him long to realize it was Sakura, who was unconscious. So that was what the sedative was for...

"Yes," Orochimaru started, and Sasuke could detect the frustration in his voice, "she continues to defy me no matter what I do. No amount of physical or mental torture has made her give up. She tries to sound so confident and proud when she insults me, but I'm not blind to her fear," he chuckled ominously. "Yet she still resists... So until I come up with a new approach I've decided to make observations, see what she can do. I want to know what kind of power the third child of prophecy possesses."

Sasuke only blinked at the Otokage's words. He'd been considering migrating to another training field, but now he was a bit intrigued. There was a small part of him that desired to witness the true extent of Sakura's abilities. He'd stay and watch for a few minutes, just so his curiosity would be quelled.

Although, he was still bewildered at her blatant resistance. What made her so defiant? Why did she still resist? He knew three days of torture with Orochimaru could not have been pleasant in the slightest. He'd seen far more experienced and battle-hardened shinobi crack in just hours. What made her keep fighting so hard? Regardless of how much she resisted, Orochimaru would eventually break her. He had broken everyone else and she would be no different in the end. It didn't matter if she was part of some prophecy and possessed extraordinary abilities or not.

"I think she's waking up," Kabuto announced, not removing his gaze from the large window.

Sasuke flicked his gaze towards the center of the field and sure enough, Sakura began to stir.

* * *

Sakura groaned when she came to, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

Wait... what?

She could freely move her hands now? Wasn't she in restraints earlier?

Sakura gasped as she opened her eyes and shot up to a sitting position. There were no restraints on her wrists, nor was there a heavy metal shackle locked around her ankle. Sakura's brow crinkled together while she thought, her hands pressing into the smooth grass. Grass? She flicked her gaze downward and sure enough, it was the real thing. She hesitantly raised her head and viewed her surroundings, finding no signs of the dainty cell she was imprisoned in earlier.

 _"This has to be some sort of joke,"_ Sakura thought in total disbelief. She certainly hadn't escaped and there was no way Orochimaru would set her free and just plop her down into some unknown territory.

She stood up and dusted herself off, noticing something else peculiar. She was free of injury. Well, it wasn't that strange in all honesty, considering the medic with glasses, Kabuto, healed her after her altercations with Orochimaru. Sakura shuddered and wrapped her arms tightly around herself when she remembered how he'd attempted to make her give up using physical pain. She'd nearly died after their first confrontation when he'd bitten her and whatever poison was in the bite had spread throughout her body. But of course, as with his other tries at making her surrender to stop the physical pain, she'd refused and been left for dead. Kabuto healed her to near perfection every time. Once, after Orochimaru left and Kabuto entered the cell to heal her, Sakura made a weak attempt to strangle him with the chains around her wrists. Needless to say it didn't work out very well. He'd given her a nice backhand in response and exited the cell, waiting another hour to heal her and watching with a smirk as she writhed in pain.

When Sakura resisted the urges to give in during and after her various beatings, Orochimaru switched up his approach. He attacked her in different ways.

"What would you do if I paid Tsunade a visit, Sakura-chan?" he'd suggested, his voice as ominous as ever.

"Shut up," Sakura hissed, recovering from his last strike to her head.

"I'll bring her back here," Orochimaru hissed, lowering his voice and leaning closer, "and I'll make you watch me kill her. But first I'll break her, make her wish she was never born. And you'll witness every second of it."

Tears spilled from Sakura's eyes then at his claims. She'd admittedly considered giving in for a moment. Sakura wouldn't let him touch Tsunade. She couldn't bear the thought of him torturing her or hurting her at all. But the thought was fleeting. It was a classic intimidation tactic, attack or threaten those close to the person you desire something from. She read all about it in fictional stories and a few biographies of shinobi who'd been captured and interrogated by enemy ninjas at least once in their lives. The interrogator always used the victim's loved ones against them. Sometimes they went through with their promises to hurt those closest to them and sometimes they didn't.

Orochimaru had to be one of those that didn't follow through with it. He couldn't. He was the Otokage and he had responsibilities to his village. Sakura considered that he might send people after Tsunade. A smirk lifted on her lips then. Tsunade wouldn't go down without a fight. No, she wouldn't go down at all. She was one of if not the best medic in the world and could rival even the strongest of shinobi. Sakura didn't need to see her in battle herself to know it was true.

"Nice try, but I'm not falling for it," she'd said triumphantly. Her smirk grew wider when Orochimaru visibly faltered. It was the first time he showed frustration with his failed attempts to get under her skin. Sakura's celebration at the small victory didn't last long. Orochimaru changed his tactics once more, only taking seconds to do so.

The things Sakura was forced to watch in his genjutsu were truly terrible. She watched Tsunade die repeatedly and saw herself dying over and over. She felt it all as if it were real. When she saw herself burn to death it felt so real. When she saw her limbs be mangled beyond recognition she felt it. She had to keep reminding herself that it was all fake; that it was just genjutsu.

Sakura considered giving up then, too. The pain was excruciating, almost impossible to bear. She just wanted it to end... but she had to resist, had to keep fighting. Sakura would allow herself to scream and cry as much as her heart desired, but she refused to surrender. She promised Tsunade she would keep fighting. She vowed to keep that promise, no matter what.

Three dreadful, torture-filled days went by with Sakura becoming more doubtful as the hours went by. She wouldn't lose hope though. Wait for an opportunity, that was all she needed to do.

In present time, she was utterly confused.

Sakura peered around the new environment, trying to discern where she was. It seemed like an arena of sorts, only without the spectator area. The ground was flat with a few trees here or there and some big rocks emerging from the ground in some places. Directly across from her was a massive iron door and above her there was nothing, only the cloudless blue sky.

Sakura narrowed her eyes in suspicion. It couldn't possibly be that easy. It looked like all she had to do was channel chakra to her feet and run up the wall and she was free. Sakura didn't trust it in the slightest. She didn't have any weapons so she searched around until she spotted a small rock. Wrenching her arm back, Sakura threw the stone as high into the air as she could. When the stone passed the top of the arena, hidden compartments appeared along the walls, firing thousands of senbon needles at the object. Sakura watched as the rock fell to the ground in front of her, a spark of anger igniting within her while she stared at the stone, which now appeared to be a pincushion.

So that's what this was all about then? Sakura whipped around on her heels, searching for where Orochimaru might be observing her from. "I'm not going to be your lab rat!" she shouted, hoping he'd hear her. This was just some stupid test. After it was over she'd be forced back into the dainty cell again.

Sakura stiffened when a booming laugh echoed throughout the arena-like area.

"You're smarter than I initially presumed Sakura-chan," Orochimaru declared, his voice sounding as if it was coming from all directions.

Sakura gasped as the large iron door creaked open and in marched about a dozen Sound-nins. She shifted into a basic defensive stance, watching them cautiously while they spread out and surrounded her. None of them motioned to attack after they'd settled into position.

"How about I make you a one time offer?" Orochimaru suggested, a hint of curiosity in his tone. "If you complete my challenge then you may walk out of here and Oto freely."

Sakura's jaw dropped at the prospect of being let go. She started to shake her head shortly after though. There was no way he was telling the truth.

"All you have to do is defeat those I set before you," he finished.

Everything fell silent afterwards, her shortened breaths being the only sound filling Sakura's ears. She knew she should have just sat down in the middle of the field and refused to comply. He wouldn't let her go free even if she beat all the shinobi surrounding her. She perceived the lie moments after the words left his mouth. Yet half of her wanted to take a stand and fight.

 _"Wait for the right opportunity..."_

Sakura's eyes widened when Tsunade's words rang through her head. Her gaze flicked to the open door the Sound-nins emerged from. Opportunity... This was it, the opportunity Sakura had been waiting for. It only took three days for one to arise but she couldn't let the chance go to waste. If she could somehow summon and maintain the burst of power she briefly experienced while fighting Sasuke, then she had a real shot of escaping. After defeating the people in the arena, she could make a break for it and plow through anyone that got in her way afterwards.

Just as she completed the thought, one of the Sound shinobi sprang forward, launching a barrage of shuriken towards her. Sakura forced chakra to her feet to pounce off the ground and dodge the shuriken. She landed behind a large rock and took a moment to formulate a plan. Sakura cringed, noticing that one of the shuriken had met its mark, cutting through the flesh of her arm. _"Come on!"_ she silently pleaded, willing her powers to activate. She could do this, but she needed her powers to do so.

Sakura stilled when she heard the sound of something whizzing through the air. It was coming straight towards her. She rolled out of the way just in time. The rock exploded into millions of pieces, the jutsu just missing her.

The Sound shinobi emerged from the cloud of dust, weaving a series of hand signs as he did so.

Sakura gasped in surprise when two claws made of rock erupted from the ground and wrapped around her legs, making it impossible to move.

He completed another string of hand signs and one of the claws let go, moving in front of her and turning towards her, thrusting itself through Sakura's torso. The Sound-nin's lips parted in shock when Sakura disappeared with a puff of smoke. If that was a clone then where was the real one? He craned his neck to look upwards when a shout met his ears, his eyes widening.

Sakura wrenched her arm back as she fell from the sky, ready to strike. She didn't know exactly what she was doing, but something in her gut told her that this would work. When her fist connected with the earth, a deafening bang sounded as a small earthquake rocked the area. Sakura stared incredulously as the ground separated and shot in every which way right before her very eyes. She blinked in wonder when the rumbling finally settled and all became silent. The strike defeated the Sound shinobi that attacked her as well as two others that'd been observing and waiting for their turns. She tore her gaze away from the three shinobi lying motionless in the rubble and studied her balled fist. She didn't have a clue how she just did that, but boy did it feel great. Sakura raised her head and cracked her knuckles eagerly, a smirk lifting on her lips when she caught sight of the baffled expressions on the remaining Sound-nins' faces.

Sakura's smirk fell and she pressed a hand to her head when a slight dizzy spell came over her. That one punch took a lot more out of her than she'd originally thought. She recovered just in time to view a pair of the ninjas surrounding her trading glances and rushing forward an instant later. She had to be careful with how much chakra she used, Sakura realized. Otherwise she'd succumb to exhaustion.

Sakura ran forward and met the first enemy head on, throwing a punch which he sidestepped. He took advantage of the move to unsheathe a pair of small swords and begin his assault. Sakura trained all her focus on dodging the strikes and waiting for an opening. She evaded his series of strikes, walking backwards as she did so. Sakura eventually caught hold of one of his wrists, eliciting a gasp of surprise from the man. He slashed at her arm with his free hand, which also ended up in her grasp. It was Sakura's turn to gasp when the man let go of his swords, leaving them in her hands, and flipped over her head.

Sakura was instantly blasted with a strong gust of wind, a piercing screeching noise accompanying it. She tried in vain to lift her arms and shield herself. Sakura yelped as the wind forced her off her feet and she tumbled backwards. She finally rolled to a halt, groaning in pain as the ringing in her ears intensified. It was the only sound she could hear clearly when she used a nearby tree for support to climb to her feet. The gut feeling that pushed her to strike earlier returned when she spotted the two shinobi running towards her again. Sakura listened to her gut and wrapped both arms around the tree next to her, releasing a scream of determination as she used all her strength to pull it upwards. Her legs wavered under the weight of the newly uprooted tree and Sakura fought to steady herself before carefully switching positions and swinging the tree towards her attackers.

She watched with satisfaction when the tree slammed into one of the enemies. Her satisfaction swiftly morphed into worry when the other hopped over the tree, pushing off the bark with one foot and readying to strike with a small sword. It was the man that attacked her first out of the two. He must've picked one of his swords up after Sakura dropped them when the gust of wind hit her. She released the tree trunk and attempted to move, but it was too late.

Sakura shouted in pain when the sword cut through her flesh and she fell to the ground with the man on top of her. He thrust the sword deeper into her chest and Sakura gritted her teeth, stifling another scream of agony. It couldn't end like this...

The Sound shinobi faltered when he noticed the purple diamond on the girl's forehead start to glow, his grip on the sword lessening. Streaks of dark purple emerged from the diamond and spread across her skin.

A sudden rush of power surged throughout Sakura's body and she growled in fury when she opened her eyes and glared at the man perched on top of her. She raised a hand and wrapped it around the sword's hilt. Sakura placed her other hand on top of the male's, squeezing hard on it.

A loud curse escaped the ninja's lips when his bones cracked and snapped. His hand was undoubtedly broken. He was too distracted to notice that Sakura removed her other hand from the sword. His head snapped to the side when her elbow connected with his chin.

Sakura unceremoniously tossed him to the side when he fell unconscious and slumped over. She maneuvered into a standing position, panting heavily as she did so. Her eyes studied the rest of the enemies, chuckling in delight when they stiffened and traded unsure glances with one another. Sakura groaned when she tightly gripped the sword lodged in her chest and pulled. She hunched over and dropped the bloody sword once it was out. A newfound sense of determination came over her while she placed a hand on her chest and felt the damaged flesh begin to heal.

Sakura straightened her back when the wound was partially healed; it was enough to stop the bleeding. She didn't want to exert more chakra than she needed to. Sakura flashed a grin, boldly daring anyone to attack her.

* * *

"You put a jutsu on the window so she can't see it," Sasuke commented dryly after Orochimaru shut the microphone off.

"Correct," the snake-like male confirmed when the battle between Sakura and his lackeys initiated. "I've ordered them to go easy on her. She wouldn't stand a chance otherwise," he declared with a hint of disappointment in his tone. "I expected more from someone under Tsunade's care."

Sasuke made no attempt to respond to this, his attention focused on the battle occurring below.

"I hope the reinovations we made to the training field are adequate," Kabuto spoke up. "We didn't have much time so they couldn't be done as proficiently as I would've liked them to be."

"That's my fault Kabuto-kun. I should've told you sooner what I wanted done," Orochimaru voiced half-mindedly, his gaze unmoving from the window.

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Kabuto, instead settling for a frown. Kabuto was the definition of kiss up. He always searched for approval from Orochimaru, as he saw him as a father figure. Sasuke had—unfortunately—been around the grey-haired man for a few years so of course he learned things from conversations here and there. He was aware of Kabuto's past status as an orphan and Orochimaru's "adoption" of him, but how anyone could see Orochimaru as a father figure was beyond him. The experiments Kabuto performed on others simply to please Orochimaru disgusted Sasuke.

Bang!

Sasuke flicked his gaze back to the window just in time to witness Sakura hurtling towards the ground and it exploding once her first connected with it. The room rumbled and quaked as the earth was smashed.

"That's incredible," Kabuto murmured, voicing Sasuke's thoughts aloud.

Orochimaru's lips parted at the sight of the immensely disfigured earth. "Perhaps I underestimated Sakura-chan," he declared, his gaze locked onto the three shinobi lying motionless in the rubble.

Sasuke intently studied the battle as it continued, with two people attacking her this time. He observed silently as she met the one in front head on and he quickly gained the upper hand. He provided a distraction for his teammate, who successfully landed his attack and sent Sakura flying and tumbling across the field. Then, she used the superhuman strength she possessed to uproot a tree and deliver a devastating blow to one of her opponents. There was no way he was getting up from that one. The other dodged the tree and leaped towards her.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed a sliver when he thrust his sword through her chest and they toppled over. She struggled for a moment but stilled soon after. So that was it then? He didn't know why he'd expected her to last longer considering she had very little experience...

"No way," Kabuto breathed in wonder as he took a step closer to the window.

Sasuke returned his attention to the field and stiffened when he spotted purple markings spread across Sakura's body, the same ones that appeared on her skin during their fight in Konoha. She grabbed hold of the ninja's hand and pulled it away from the sword. Sasuke could tell from the man's scream and the disfiguration of his hand that it was severely broken. He watched as Sakura got to her feet and yanked the sword from her chest, pressing a hand to it. It took him a moment to figure out she was healing herself.

Sasuke studied her intently, silently taking mental notes as the fight progressed and the Sound-nins continued to fall one by one. He'd known she was untrained since his pursuit of her in Konoha, but her mistakes were so blatantly apparent here. She was relying solely on her power this instance and he could see how she struggled to control it throughout the fight. The hints were very subtle, things only someone as perceptible as Sasuke would notice. Sakura might've seemed totally confident in her abilities during the fight, but Sasuke saw right through it. Every now and then when an opportunity arose for her to take a breather, she'd close her eyes and lower her head slightly. To anyone else it would've looked like someone just catching their breath, but Sasuke took a closer look and discovered that her lips would move every time she lowered her head. She was willing her powers to stay active, he'd realized.

Regardless of her skill level, Sakura's abilities were truly incredible. He didn't know what he'd been expecting before the fight commenced, but it definitely wasn't this. The powers she displayed so far were nothing like his own or Naruto's, but they were still a spectacle. Her strength and healing abilities were certainly beneficial...

"Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru beckoned as Sakura started towards the last remaining opponent.

The Uchiha peered at him in response, his eyes widening a fraction. Was that worry he detected in Orochimaru's expression? He had no time to ponder over the matter, as all hints of fear vanished from the man's features and voice when he next spoke.

"It seems I may have underestimated Sakura-chan," Orochimaru repeated, setting his lips into a thin line. "I'm going to need you to subdue our prisoner once more."

"Why me?!" Sasuke hissed with annoyance, fully turning to face the man.

"Because I know you have the power to do so."

* * *

Sakura fell to one knee after defeating the last opponent. The world spun as she pressed her palm to the ground and gasped for air. After a few moments she was able to raise her head, twisting it towards the wide open iron door. She did it. Sakura managed to keep her powers active through the duration of the fight and beat all of the Sound shinobi.

A triumphant grin lifted on her lips when she pushed herself to her feet and started towards the door. She didn't expect Orochimaru to go through with his offer, so that meant she needed to keep her powers active for a bit longer. She'd make a break for it and use what remained of her strength to plow through those that got in her way and escape the wretched fortress. Then Sakura would find a place to rest and she was free. The thought of escaping sent a jolt of excitement through her. Sakura was going home...

Her journey towards the open door was abruptly halted when a figure appeared on the other side of it, hidden in the shadows. Sakura gasped when a bright light flashed in the dark hallway, steadily growing in size and hurtling towards her. It was a fireball. She had to think quickly; there was no time to move. A jutsu she'd read about popped into her head and Sakura's hands immediately started to weave through the required hand signs. She completed it when the fireball was just feet away, watching with cautious relief as a section of the ground directly in front of her shot up to form a wall.

The air around her became blazing hot when the flames hit the rock wall, the fire sailing over her head and next to her. Sakura froze when cracks appeared in the barrier, which soon began to sway. She raised her hands over her face when the chunks of earth collapsed and toppled over on top of her.

Sasuke stepped forward when the remants of his fireball vanished and all that was left was a pile of rocks and dirt. He stopped a few yards away from the mound, watching as the dust cleared and Sakura scrambled to her feet while hissing in pain and holding her burnt forearm. There was something much different in her gaze and form this time around. During their fight in Konoha, she'd been terrified and unsure. This time, her eyes and posture held only determination and rage.

The frown on Sasuke's face deepened. He just wanted this to be over with quickly. He'd seen all he needed to and now he desired to be anywhere else than here. After dealing with her he would travel to another field and make up for his lack of training the day prior. This wouldn't go on for much longer. He'd put her under a genjutsu and be done with it. Sasuke locked gazes with her as he activated his Sharingan. To his surprise, Sakura immediately averted her eyes from his. Perhaps she deserved more credit than he gave her...

Sakura rushed forward without warning, motioning to attack him. He swiftly dodged her first couple of strikes, maneuvering behind her when he evaded the third. Sasuke planted one foot into the ground and spun on his heel, launching his other foot into her spine. She tumbled across the field and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Sasuke barely suppressed a gasp of shock when a chunk of the broken earth barrier took her place. If that was a substitution then where was-?

Sakura ambushed Sasuke from behind, sending her fist sailing towards the back of his head. He moved just in time, her knuckles brushing against strands of his dark locks. Sakura quickly skidded to a halt and thrust her foot in his direction, elated when it connected with his chin and sent him reeling backwards. Her jaw dropped to the ground when he poofed out of existence.

Sasuke gracefully dropped down from his place in one of the trees a short distance behind her. Yes, Sakura definitely deserved a lot more credit than he originally gave her. He thought about his next move as she stood with her back to him, distracted by his clone's disappearance. He could try another fire style jutsu or a lightning style one. Either move would end this.

No, Sasuke concluded. He'd end the fight by putting her under a genjutsu. There was something within him that made the Uchiha hesitant, almost reluctant to use more ninjutsu against her. Sasuke convinced himself it was simply because it would be needlessly wasting chakra. It would help to conserve more if he subdued her this way.

Sakura was late to react when the sound of footsteps approaching her at a fast pace entered her ears. She grunted when she moved her flat palms against Sasuke's sword, which he'd thrown over her head and tried to press against her throat. She refrained from closing her hand around the blade even as he pushed it closer to her throat. He definitely had the advantage in this situation. One of his hands tightly gripped the hilt of his sword while the other was pressed against the flat part of the blade like Sakura's, both of his hands working to bring the blade closer to her neck.

Sakura gritted her teeth in frustration when her back was forced against Sasuke's chest, his head next to hers. The only way she could get out of this situation is if she wrapped her hands around the sharp part of his sword and pushed that way, but her hands would be simultaneously cut to pieces. She started to look towards the hilt until his reflection came into view. She quickly averted her gaze before her emerald orbs could meet the reflection of Sasuke's red ones.

Sasuke inwardly cursed when Sakura turned her head to the side. She'd figured out what he was attempting to do just in time. A fraction of a second later and it would've been over. He took advantage of their close proximity and kicked a place just above her ankle.

Sakura shouted in pain and fell to one knee, his sword still in front of her face. She made sure to maintain her palms' position against it even as she stared towards the ground. She knew what abilities the Sharingan possessed and that she would automatically lose if her eyes met his.

"Just stay down!" Sasuke hissed into her ear as he leaned closer. This would be much easier for both of them if she just complied.

"No," Sakura breathed back, cautiously sliding her palms along the blade towards Sasuke's hands. "I... don't have anything t-to lose!" she croaked out. Everything and everyone dear to her was in Konoha. Sound couldn't take anything else away from her. It didn't matter if she beat Sasuke or not; they'd try to throw her back in that cold cell either way. Orochimaru wouldn't kill her bescause he needed her power. Her freedom was on the line and Sasuke was currently the only one in her way.

Sakura growled in fury when a burst of energy surged through her and she gripped Sasuke's hands, simultaneously pushing the blade away from her neck. She moved one leg backwards closer to his and quickly bent over, tugging him over her back.

Sasuke easily steadied himself as he flipped through the air, landing safely on the other side of the training field. He sheathed his sword and warily watched her as he rubbed his throbbing wrist. Her inhuman strength proved to be troublesome. Sasuke murmured a curse because of the stinging pain as he formed another plan. If he could just get her to meet his eyes for a split second then it would be over. He narrowed his eyes, his lips parting when he noticed how shaky her legs were. She'd used too much chakra.

Tears of frustration slid down Sakura's cheeks as she breathed heavily, trying desperately to hold herself up. _"Just a bit longer,"_ she repeated over and over in her head. The door was literally wide open in front of her, just feet behind Sasuke. Her opportunity at escape was right there, so close but yet so far. Why?! Why did he have to get in her way now?! She'd put an end to this battle right now, with one final attack against him.

Remembering to keep her eyes away from his, Sakura rushed forward. This was it. She'd end him and keep running until she was out of there. Then it was on to Konoha, to Tsunade, Shizune, and Naruto, to home...

Sasuke prepared a counterattack as Sakura rushed forward, ready to move at any given moment. His eyes widened when he realized she was going slower with each step she took. His position became relaxed, his lips forming a frown when she slowed to a jog.

 _"No!"_ Sakura shouted silently as she felt herself giving out. More tears of frustration escaped her lids when she noticed that Sasuke was standing still now, totally relaxed. It was right there... The door was right there...

Sasuke didn't remove his eyes from her as her run became a jog, and the jog became a walk. He felt no sense of urgency when she forcibly balled her fist and moved it back in preparation for a strike. Her sharp breaths filled his ears when she finally collaped and landed mere inches away from him.

Whatever energy Sakura still possessed was used up when short, quiet sobs escaped her lips. She was so close... She just wanted to go home, to be safe. She wanted to see Naruto's smile again. She wanted to hear Shizune's laugh again. She wanted to feel Tsunade's warm embrace again. Her entire world had come crashing down.

Sakura tilted her head upwards, her tear-filled eyes meeting the sight of Sasuke's feet on either side of her head and then the door, which was only feet away. _"Get up,"_ Sakura ordered herself. Even though it seemed so useless now, she listened to the voice anyway. For some reason there was still the smallest spark of hope burning inside her...

She stifled a groan of pain when she reached out for the only thing she could possibly grab onto. Sakura clutched Sasuke's pant leg and slowly pulled herself up, feeling him grow tense as she did so.

Yet he still made no motion to move.

Sakura gritted her teeth when she was almost at a sitting position. She reached up with her free hand and tightly grasped the end of Sasuke's shirt. It was exhausting, _so exhausting,_ to move. Her breaths became even more labored when she attempted to pull herself off the ground. _"Get up,"_ Sakura told herself once more. She struggled with all her might to make it to her feet, but could only lift herself up a few inches.

Sakura halted abruptly when Sasuke finally moved. She did her best to brace herself for his strike, but it never came. Instead, she felt Sasuke grip her chin, not at all harshly like she'd assumed he would. She froze at his actions and didn't struggle when he gently tilted her head upwards. She forgot all about keeping her gaze averted from his. Sakura's emerald orbs met his crimson ones and the world soon began to fade.

Sasuke's eyes were trained onto Sakura's unconscious form after she slumped over and became motionless in front of him. His eyes reverted back to their normal onyx as he stared, a foreign emotion swirling within his chest. He now knew the true answer as to why he'd become hesitant to use anymore ninjutsu against her.

Sasuke was an avenger. He wanted to hurt people that deserved to be hurt. He desired to make people like his elder brother suffer and pay for their actions. He would do what was necessary to those that got in the way of him completing that task, someone like Naruto. If Naruto stayed out of his way then he would be fine though. He hurt people like the two Sound-nins yesterday that agreed to a fight because it was simply that. They agreed to it.

But Sakura? She didn't deserve this. She'd done nothing wrong, nothing worthy of his wrath, nothing worthy of Orochimaru's torture. She was here simply because of her power, not because she'd committed a crime or something.

Sasuke's hand twitched as a new emotion stirred inside of him. Anger, he realized. It was directed towards Orochimaru, towards the world. He, Sakura, and Naruto were only seen as one thing to others.

Weapons.

He'd known all along that was all he was to Orochimaru. That was fine with him. All he saw Orochimaru as was a stepping stone. He would benefit by growing stronger and preparing for Itachi while Orochimaru benefitted by having him on Oto's side for the war. The feeling was mutual.

But something was set off inside Sasuke as he looked at the fresh tears still present on Sakura's face. Being viewed as simply a weapon was okay with him before. He'd hardly ever given it much thought or been upset over the fact. Now though, he felt the fury that sparked when he first noticed the tears falling from Sakura's eyes almost ready to explode...

* * *

Three days.

That was how long it had been since Itachi conducted the investigation and discovered where the third had been staying. It was the only thing on his mind in the span of those three days. He had yet to report to the Hokage or Danzo. He was currently getting dressed in his ANBU attire to do so. If he waited any longer it would raise suspicion. The last thing he desired was for Danzo to be wary of him more than he already was.

Itachi moved the mask over his face and set out towards the Hokage's office at a leisurely pace, in no rush at all to get there. After his confrontation with Tsunade, something clicked inside him. Emotions he worked to keep at bay for nearly a decade found their way out of the locked cage and to the front of his mind.

It was dangerous to let his emotions control him like this. If Danzo or the Hokage sensed it for even a moment they'd immediately use the slip up to their advantage. But if there was anything Itachi deemed himself good at, it was acting. He'd proven that the night of the massacre. He could fool them, he just needed to be careful.

Itachi was still debating whether or not he should do this even as he made his way to the Hokage's office. There was a lot at risk if he went through with it, but there was a possibility of huge reward as well. His own life would be in jeopardy, but that didn't really matter to him. What concerned him most was that Sasuke would be in immense danger if he failed, that is if he went through with it. If he went through with it and succeeded, the war itself might be turned in Konoha's favor.

Itachi hated war. He'd been born into it and exposed to its devastating effects at such a young age. He tried to hide the sorrow it brought from his little brother for as long as possible, but Itachi discovered the corruption within Konoha's higher ranks and everything changed from then on.

All the senseless violence and death war brought with it to people like himself, to Sasuke, to Koji... Itachi just wanted it to stop. He didn't want to see anymore bodies hauled back from the front lines or families torn apart by it all.

"Itachi," the Hokage greeted gruffly as he entered the office.

"Hokage-sama," Itachi returned, issuing a formal bow when he halted in front of the man's desk. "I've finished my investigation," he stated boredly.

"Ah, about time," the Hokage responded tiredly. "One moment," he said, beginning to rifle through a messy stack of papers.

While Itachi waited for the Hokage to locate whatever he was searching for, a memory replayed in his head, a memory he refrained from thinking about for a long time...

* * *

"How long?" Shisui asked, his tone grave.

"Less than a month," Itachi responded lowly.

A solemn silence fell between the two after this, the gushing of the waterfall next to them being the only sound in the area.

Shisui sighed and pushed himself up from the seat next to his friend. "So it's really come to this?" he asked more to himself than Itachi as he walked to stand at the edge of the precipice.

"Ah," Itachi grunted, his frown widening. "Only Sasuke and I will be allowed to survive."

"I see," Shisui replied, turning to face his friend for the first time since they'd met up that evening.

"Shisui," Itachi gasped in shock when he laid eyes on the streak of blood under his friend's right eye.

"Danzo knew we were still planning a counterattack even though you'd already agreed to do it," Shisui responded with a sorrowful grin. "He's got us exactly where he wants us. When he tried to kill me I wasn't sure what his back up plan was if I survived, but it turns out he didn't need one. He knew we wouldn't tell anyone else about the deal he tried to make with you, he knew we _couldn't._ "

Itachi averted his gaze from the slash on Shisui's eye and balled his fists in frustration. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't said anything about-"

"No," Shisui interrupted, his stern tone causing his friend to flinch in surprise. "Itachi, you were just doing what was right. You have a heart of gold and don't let what you'll have to do soon convince you otherwise."

Itachi blinked at his friend's words for a few moments before lowering his head in shame. The reality of what he'd have to do was starting to set in. "I can't do this... I can't kill my clanmates, or you, or..." He trailed off and swallowed harshly. It truly was the only option now. Konoha would be decimated if a civil war were to break out in the midst of their war with Oto. Either way many lives would be lost and lots of blood would be shed.

"I'm sorry Itachi," Shisui started, a look of deep sorrow present in his undamaged eye, "I really am. I wish it hadn't come to this, but what's done is done. It's the only way this village has a chance to survive, to prevent civil war and Oto from destroying Konoha."

Itachi took a deep breath and regained his composure before meeting Shisui's gaze. He knew that he couldn't back out. Shisui was right. If the clan went through with plans and attempted a coup, Danzo would use his little puppet, the Hokage, to turn the rest of the village against the Uchiha clan. Danzo possessed far more power than even his father, Fugaku, the Uchiha clan head. He'd spin the truth and bury it just like that. The village would end up handing the win to Sound.

"It wouldn't even matter if we won the war today," Shisui declared, his brow crinkling together in thought. "Nothing will matter until all of them are out of power."

"Hope is lost then," Itachi nearly whispered.

"You're wrong again," Shisui chuckled light-heartedly, his expression softening. "There's always hope. You know the truth about everything. You'll still be here."

"They'll have me under close watch. If I try to pass on any information to others then they'll kill Sasuke and whoever I tell," Itachi said as he stood up and walked to stand next to his friend at the edge of the precipice.

"I'd rather die knowing the truth than live oblivious to the lies and corruption," Shisui responded, a small smile forming on his features. He turned towards Itachi and caught the look of doubt resting on his features. "There's power in truth."

Itachi's eyes widened ever so slightly before he cocked his head to the side, peering at the waterfall.

"Itachi, I need you to promise me something." Shisui continued when his friend blinked at him in anticipation. "I want you to promise me that you'll take the opportunity when it arises."

"Opportunity?"

"Ah," Shisui grunted with a nod. "Promise me that you'll take the opportunity to make things right. I can't tell you how long it'll take, but I know it will come. The truth always makes itself known."

Itachi considered his friend's words for a minute. He knew exactly what Shisui was implying.

"Take them down from the inside," Shisui continued, confirming that what Itachi thought was correct. "You're the village's only hope right now Itachi. Don't pressure yourself over it, because I know you can do it... Promise?"

"I promise," Itachi returned, the smallest of grins lifting on his face. It vanished a moment later when he fully turned to face his friend, a questioning look in his eyes. "So what will you do now?" He tried in vain to block out the thought of killing his best friend. He didn't know how he'd cope after the deed was done, especially after their talk here and his promise.

Shisui's lips parted as if he was going to answer the question, but they slowly met again. Then, a sorrowful grin appeared on his face, like he'd come to a resolution. "I think... I've done all that I can here," he announced lowly, taking a few steps forward until his toes were hanging off the edge of the rocky cliff.

"Shisui?" Itachi called in a half-warning, half-pleading voice.

"Don't stop me Itachi," Shisui ordered, whipping around and holding his hand out in protest. "Remember what I said, okay?"

Itachi nodded cautiously, his heart thundering against his chest as he refrained from moving forward.

"I know you can save the village," Shisui declared, a genuinely happy smile plastering itself to his lips. "Thank you for being my friend Itachi."

Itachi watched in horror as his friend slowly fell backwards off the cliff. "Shisui!" he shouted exasperatedly, running to the very edge of the cliff. He saw his friend falling through the air, a smile still on his face when he hit the water. He desired nothing more than to jump in after him, to save his life, but Itachi forced himself to comply with Shisui's will and remain in place through it all. A shaky hand reached up to place itself just under his eyes. His Sharingan had activated, but it was different. A third tomoe appeared in each of his swirling red eyes and then they morphed into a new pattern. It didn't take him long to realize what it was.

The Mangekyou Sharingan.

* * *

"Well, what did you find?" the Hokage asked after he located the damage reports and quickly skimmed through them. He clasped his hands together and leaned forward expectantly. If the girl resided in one of the damaged homes then they could find out who'd been protecting her the entire time.

Itachi cleared his throat and locked gazes with the Hokage, who was eagerly anticipating his answer. "I investigated every home listed in the damage reports."

He'd made his choice...

"After fully surveying all of them, I've concluded that the third never resided in any of the homes," Itachi answered, his voice void of any emotion.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Sorry if this chapter was a bit too long for some people. I didn't think anything before this last part was a good stopping point though. Tell me what you think and please leave a review! Thank you for the support! Hope you enjoyed!


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